KZN Premier Ntuli concerned about spike in traditional leadership disputes

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli has expressed concern about the prevalence of succession disputes within the province’s traditional leadership institutions. Speaking during the installation of Inkosi Phineas Mthiyane of the Sokhulu clan outside Richards Bay over the weekend, Ntuli said a further concern was the misconception that the KZN government has a role in the appointment of traditional leaders. It has to be placed on record that the appointment of an Inkosi is a family affair.

It is the family which, after internal discussions, agrees on who should be the Inkosi. “The role of the KZN government is in the issuing of a certificate of recognition once the processes of appointing the Inkosi have been concluded,” he said. The latest succession battle involved Mthiyane, whose appointment was challenged by a sibling in the Pietermaritzburg High Court.

One of his brothers applied to have the installation stopped. Ntuli, King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi were also cited as respondents in the matter. Mthiyane’s installation went ahead over the weekend after the Pietermaritzburg High Court dismissed the urgent application.

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“The application is dismissed with the applicant to pay costs of the application, including costs of senior counsel,” the court said. Ntuli said the matter was a reminder that the provincial government should stay out of traditional leadership succession disputes.

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