AbaThembu kingdom demands accountability after KuGompo ‘Nigerian king’ unrest

Tensions boiled over in KuGompo after a Nigerian national’s cultural ceremony was mistaken for a royal installation, sparking violent protests, a diplomatic crisis, and pointed questions about state failure. On Monday, the AbaThembu royal kingdom distanced itself from the violence and looting that engulfed East London, now known as KuGompo, following a march against the alleged coronation of a Nigerian national as a traditional king in the Eastern Cape. The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) also slammed the protest.

“These acts of destruction undermine the rule of law, threaten lives, and damage infrastructure that communities depend on for service delivery and economic activity,” said the Deputy Minister Prince Zolile Burns-Ncamashe. While the kingdom affirmed its support for the constitutional right to peaceful protest, the kingdom made clear that the destruction that followed had no place in its name. The kingdom spokesperson, Mayibuye Melisizwe Mandela, stated that it placed three things firmly on record: that it was not part of the march, that it stands with the people’s right to express their grievances, and that it does not associate itself with the violence that followed.

Mandela confirmed that His Majesty King Buyelekhaya Zwelibanzi Dalindyebo, along with every member of the AbaThembu Royal Council, had no involvement in the march. “Those affiliated with the kingdom who attended did so purely in their personal capacity,” said Mandela. He added that the kingdom was equally firm in acknowledging the protest’s legitimacy. “The organisers of the march did not invite hooliganism, looting, or the destruction of property.” What unfolded, the kingdom argued, pointed to something far more troubling: a failure of the state to anticipate and contain foreseeable violence.