Politics will NO longer destroy African Culture and Heritage - Unsolicited advise to abaThembu Kingdom

King Buyelekhaya Dalindgebo - Image from SABC News 

Learn from your past footprints, master the game then rule the world.  This is our advise to King Buyelekhaya Dalindgebo of abaThembu Kingdom.  Makome Kingdom welcomes the release of the King with great jubilation.  He is now at home following President's Day of Reconciliation and we wish him well now and forever.  Our expectations are that the King will use this embarrassing experience to build stronger Nation of abaThembu Kingdom in support of united and democratic People's Republic of South Africa.

What exactly happened?   In May 2005, King Dalindgebo was indicted for fraud, murder, attempted murder, kidnapping and arson at the Mthatha High Court.  In July 2014, a group of abaThembu Chiefs wrote to President Jacob Zuma requesting that King Dalindgebo be removed, claiming he is an "evil king" and "not fit to rule".  In October 2015, the King was sentenced to 12 years in prison.  He was incarcerated on the 30 December 2015 and his family was evicted from the royal household.  Now the King is back home.  The past leaves bitter taste but the future looks sweat - the King must concede.

That noted, Makome Kingdom wishes to advise the King of abaThembu Kingdom and other kingdoms to never relegate their position to politics.  They must know that their authority and standing in the society is above politics.  Remember that the King was at some stage a member of Democratic Alliance (DA).  We can not express our view on the merits of the case but suffice to state that politics of African National Congress (ANC) and DA were at play to destroy our culture and heritage.

The abaThembu Kingdom must defend Ukutwhala which is not only Xhosa cultural practice but can be tracked to other kingdoms beyond South Africa.  Our founding father of Makome Kingdom, Makome himself got married to a young girl in Ukutwhala style when he found a young girl in the jungle of Skukhuza (Kruger National Park) after she ran away from her village in Gaza Province of Mozambique as she rejects to marry a man she doesn't love.

Ukutwhala was use by government to lay charges against the King of abaThembu for kidnapping, abduction, and attempted murder.  These are serious criminal charges that supersede any cultural practice.  No one who practised this culture will survive any courts of law.  Hence our beloved King Dalindgebo served his jail term until Presidential pardon.

As we restore our moral campus, heritage and unity, Makome Kingdom pleads with abaThembu to consider using his case to educate, reconcile and build.  Ukutwhala by its design helps reducing HIV/AIDS infections, minimises single parents and other many social ills.  The biggest question which must be answered by abaThembu Kingdom and other kingdoms which practice this, is when is the correct age for girls to voluntarily decide for themselves to participate.  History and nature has taught us that at the age of 16, both boys and girls are matured enough to take independent decision that will affect their entire life.  The law of South Africa says 18 year.  Sex with a girl below 18 years is considered rape irrespective of whether the girl volunteered or not.

The King must admit that we are living in the global world with universal laws.  The South African laws govern us all and they are being influenced by global rules.  It is therefore tactically important that abaThembu Kingdom to contest their proposal in our context for adjustment of maturity age from 18 to 16.  Science, nature and Makome Kingdom will back-up the proposal.  With this adjustment, the law must give rights to the girl to nominate her participation or not so that if she is not party, she and or family don't punished.

The community will have to be educated when it comes to application of this cultural practice.  At least we know that, any man who sleeps with a girl under 16 must be imprisoned.  It must be a King himself who then denounce un-explainable mysterious rapes, murder and child trafficking. the people who commit such are living with us and they can not learn any part of it from the King.

We can not be spectators as our wealthy culture full of wisdom being buried as we get further divided.  The King must extend his peaceful hand to the affected families, reconcile, and rebuild.  The rest on how everyone including government can protect this culture will be shared with the King himself if he accept Makome Kingdom's free unsolicited advise.