Former South African High Commissioner to Mauritius and Seychelles Dr Hlamalani Prince Nelly Manzini and her sister, Basi Ngobeni, have allegedly pulled the rug from under the feet of their niece , Tsakane Kambule, as the battle to succeed the late Hosi Tinyiko Lwandlamuni Nwamitwa II pits the three royal consorts against each other.
Princess Tsakane is the daughter of the late Hosi Nwamitwa II while Princess Manzini and Princess Basi are the late queen’s paternal sisters.
Africa Daily can exclusively reveal that after the death of Hosi Nwamitwa II in February this year, Princess Tsakane was supposed to ascend the throne as the regent of the Valoyi Royal Council in Limpopo.
This is in accordance with the Constitutional Court ruling, which declared her late mother, Hosi Nwamitwa II, as the rightful heir to the throne, becoming the first female leader of the Vatsonga-Bachanga nation.
Princess Tsakane was supposed to have been appointed the regent after the death of Queen Nwamitwa II until the rightful heir to the throne, who is 16 years old, reaches the age of majority.
However, sources privy to the politics of the royal family alleged that a rival faction within the royal council, claiming to have the backing of Princess Manzini, is blocking Princess Tsakane’s appointment and is imposing Princess Basi, who is running a shebeen in the area.
A deep throat who did not want to be named for fear of victimisation alleged that several royal consorts were girding their loins to crown Princess Tsakane as the regent a few days after the passing of Hosi Nwamitwa II.
The mole alleged that things went pear-shaped after Princess Manzini held a virtual meeting with some royal consorts, where a decision was allegedly taken that Princess Basi should hold the fort.
The tipster alleged that those who are allegedly egging on Princess Manzini and Princess Basi are ANC councillor Gaza Edney Ntimbane, Nwamitwa Stakeholders Forum and head of Indunas Olga Rikhotso.
The informant alleged that Ntimbane allegedly participated in the closure of the royal council offices this year by blockading the main entrance with his vehicle.
“On the day he blockaded the gate, people could not access services that were rendered by the royal council employees. They could not receive SASSA services that are being rendered there, they couldn’t also purchase new stands because Ntimbane and his troops, who are fighting Manzini and Basi’s battle, blockaded the entrance. On the day they blockaded the entrance, about 800 schoolchildren who were there to attend programmes organised by a private entity were turned away,” said the source.
The source further alleged that Ntimbane had told those who are throwing their weight behind Princess Tsakane to refrain from doing so as they have the support of the ANC at the regional and provincial level.
“The indunas who support Princess Tsakane, who is the legitimate heir, are being threatened that they will lose their jobs and perks if they turn don’t their backs on her and support Basi,” said the source.
The source , an induna who was coerced into support the two sisters, further said that at the centre of this fierce rivalry are several agricultural farms owned by the royal council and the lucrative Nwamitwa Dam project.
The dispute between Princess Tsakane and her aunts is corroborated by a letter written to Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs ( CoGHSTA) on 25 August this year complaining about the bias of officials in handling matters involving the two warring parties. In the letter ,which was leaked to us by CoGHSTA officials, Princess Tsakane’s lawyers, Maimele DJ Incorporated , expressed her unhappiness with the officials’ penchant for listening to the grievances of Nwamitwa Stakeholders Forum-which is aligned to Princess Manzini and Princess Basi , while sidelining Valoyi Traditional Community Stakeholders- which supports her regency.
