Ndebele king: Unemotional solution required

I HAVE been investing a great deal of time to find a possible solution to the monarchy controversy and I have come to the conclusion that the recent Court ruling provides a possible answer. It provides a window of possible settlement through a constitutional approach.

This approach, however, will not come soon enough to deflate the explosive emotions that have arisen in the controversy.

The best solution is an urgent court ruling. We know now that Stanley Tshuma-Khumalo is the offspring of a son of Hlangabeza who was one of many sons of Mzilikazi. Tradition bars participation of Mzilikazi's children from entering the search for Nyamande's successor. Nyamande was crowned King in 1896.

This leaves the contest between Bulelani and Zwide. There are, however, a whole host of hurdles for Bulelani to overcome before the decks are cleared for him without a challenger. It is clear that his parents and grand parents were, like him, born in South Africa and there is nothing to show they ever set foot in Matabeleland (Zimbabwe) for any reason.

Humprey's father, Fana comes after Rhodes and Albert, Njube's children. It has not been established if the siblings were themselves full blooded Ndebele princes. It is common knowledge that Njube was born in 1879 and died in 1910. It is also a matter of record that he visited Matabeleland once in his life for only three months after his exile to the Cape Colony.

It is also a matter of record that his mother, Mpoliyana would not allow him to build a home in Matabeleland as he required friends Maphitsholo and Maxhegwana to do so. It is true that he was allowed to remain in Matabeleland for only three months when he visited home in 1900. Did he marry a Matabele girl and father two sons in three months when the policy of the Chartered Company was to purge the Matabele Monarchy?

In my investigations I have come to believe that the board has been cleared for Sihluku's offspring to win the contest for monarch. There are three sons in the Sihluku house, but then I changed my mind when I realised that their mother, MaKhanye comes behind MaNxumalo in the order of seniority.

The Nxumalo clan, from which Zwide's grandmother Mangongo kaNyathela kaZwide Nxumalo comes, is senior to all royal houses.

Something happened at a final meeting between Zwide and the Sihluku brothers which is now a subject of a legal challenge. This probably is the route through which a settlement can be reached. Let us go back to Njube and Bulelani for a moment. It has already been shown that, by birth, Njube lies sixth behind Nyamande, followed by Mphezeni, Nguboyenja, Sidojiwe and Ngandela Mpandezemithi who died last month.

Ngandela was senior to both Sihluku and Sumpe, Zwide's father. Fortunately for the monarchy he left only girls who traditionally cannot run for the monarch. Why should Bulelani be given a facility to jump all the houses when his bloodline is questionable? At a final meeting between Zwide and the Sihluku brothers, no one from the Mzilikazi house who are behind Bulelani, was present.

Perhaps the answer lies between the Sihluku brothers and Zwide. He claims that he is supported by seven out of 10 of Nyamande's houses and has affidavits to prove it. If Bulelani still insists on challenging the Sumpe and Sihluku houses he will have to prove it in a court of law to sustain his claim.

I have no doubt that the issue can be settled between Sihluku and Sumpe now that it is clear that Stanley Tshuma-Khumalo whose father was Hlangabeza's offspring, should not contest at all because Hlangabeza was Mzilikazi's son. This is a welcome development that saves the monarchy, and indeed the people of Matabeleland, the extremely emotional, acrimonious and embarrassing quibbling that has arisen.