Ndeblele 'King' suspends State House march

One of the claimants to the Ndebele throne, Stanley Raphael Khumalo, has publicly committed to a traditional lot-drawing process aimed at resolving the long-standing kingship dispute, signaling a significant shift in his approach.

Khumalo has suspended all his ongoing programmes, including his controversial 2022 plan to occupy the Bulawayo State House, in respect of the initiative being led by the group Umthondo Wesizwe. The organisation has been engaging the five known Khumalo claimants to encourage a peaceful and spiritually guided resolution.

"It is clear that there are internal processes underway aimed at ensuring a smooth, structured, and undisputed resolution," Khumalo said. "Any comment from our side at this moment could be misinterpreted. We believe it is in the best interest of everyone involved to allow these processes to unfold."

The revival of the Ndebele kingship has been fraught with division within the Khumalo clan, with five individuals claiming the right to the throne. Two of the claimants, Bulelani Khumalo and Stanley Raphael Khumalo, have held private coronations after government authorities blocked public events.

Umthondo Wesizwe chairman, Ernest Langalitshoni Ncube, said that the current fragmentation and secrecy meant there is still no officially recognised king. "In all the current confusion and division, we have come to realise that only conducting a Lot (Inkatho) will resolve the impasse and give us the rightful and spiritually anointed king," Ncube said.

The lot-drawing proposal has elicited mixed reactions from the claimants. Peter Zwide Khumalo rejected the process as "magic," while a representative for Bulelani Khumalo insisted they already have a king. Conversely, Raphael Khumalo and representatives for the Nkulumane and Albert houses have agreed to the idea.

The move represents a major change for Stanley Raphael Khumalo, who in May 2022 wrote to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, declaring his intent to lead a "crusade" from South Africa to reclaim the Bulawayo State House and revive the Mthwakazi kingdom. That attempt was blocked by police and later cancelled, with Khumalo citing assassination threats as a reason for halting the plan.

The adoption of the traditional lot process marks a significant step toward resolving the Ndebele throne dispute through spiritual and cultural means, offering a potential path to unity among the Khumalo claimants.