Sandile Dikeni
Trying to start 2015 with a positive vibe, but the Thembu royal crisis does not taste good. Okay I am a Thembu guy belonging to the Mgcina clan. Self-praise is no recommendation, but I must say belonging to the Mgcinas is a cool thing. In other words the Mgcina tribe is a sharp tribe, but that is not my topic. There is something about writing a positive piece at the beginning of the year. But that is not possible now with the Thembu royalty in crisis.
On the other hand the current tribal crisis might be an eye-opener on the sensitivities of the notion “tribe”. I am not an anthropologist, but I do suspect that the current issue is pleading for the science to be implemented. The issue is that of King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo. Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo has been found guilty of certain crimes and sentenced to imprisonment. I am not a jurist so I am not going to comment on the country’s criminal law. But I have to comment. I am a bit uncomfortable with the Thembu king’s attitude. The king, I presume, is related to the likes of Nelson Mandela but somehow does not show the same majesty. His current action does not reflect the beauty of his name – Buyelekhaya – literally meaning “returning home”.
Maybe, the issue is not really (and only) a comment on him but on the entire Thembu people. As a Thembu I am not really impressed with his actions thus far. Nor do I think the Thembu tribes are impressed. But they are quiet.
Let me reveal that Minister Lindiwe Sisulu is a Thembu who is very quiet. Why? There are also other majestic Thembus who are reluctant to comment on this dynasty. Why? In other words this matter is not merely limited to Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo; no, it is a comment on the Thembu people. It is a negative comment on the Thembu people. I am not a narrow tribalist. In fact I am not tribalist at all. I do recognise my belonging to the Mgcina clan and the positives of the like. I also know that the Mgcina people are a Thembu clan of remarkable standing among the Thembu. The current tribal crisis is demeaning the Thembu people! We need to comment on it in a way that reassures South Africa of the majesty that these people possess. That comment demands that the sanity of these people be articulated in a manner that reminds the nation of the glorious role they have played in the history of this nation state.
I submit that this is not only a commentary on the Thembu people, it could go further to the Sotho, Ndebele, Tswana, Venda, etc. In other words it is a negative comment on nation-building. Also, it is not only a Thembu issue when it begins to make commentary on South Africa’s legal system. It is general knowledge that yours truly is not a fan of the nation state system, but it is not fair to allow the Thembu people to threaten the state with this current social upheaval. It is scandalous.
Let me be honest and narrate that I do not really know the sociological or anthropological relationship between the Xhosa and the Thembu people. I know that they speak the same language. Surprisingly, the Xhosa royalty has also been mum on the issue. The journalistic question is, why?
Oops, I said journalistic question when I intended to say the general question. There is a discomfort that borders on the insane to see a projection of the Thembu people in this ragged fashion in popular media. Not because I am one of them, but because they played a major role in the destruction of a negative ethos.
One expects a deeper sensitivity to the nation state debacle. A debacle in the Thembu tribe does not make us comfortable in the anti-tribal discourse. True, the Thembu can look after themselves. True, this current exhibition is not a way that says they can.
Let it also be a warning to other ethnicities that their tribal issues and crises can be transformed into national ailments. We do not want that. We want to be known for the many depths carried by different life translations we donate to this country.
On an aside, I am embarrassed by this comment on South African tribal issues. It does send negative messages about the narrowness of tribal royalties. The multi-tribal face of places like our country need to portray an image of sobriety to the great world. It is a must!
I am so scared that this articulation might reveal my anti-nation state discourse. The nation state at the moment is a necessary discourse. But we should not, I suggest, regard it as a “forever amen” closure on the state. There is a danger that states like ours can play, to the world, the really ominous role of failed multi-ethnic states. That is scary to me.
The Thembu debacle must come to an end. It is embarrassing for a country like ours to be battling with issues like this. There is in my heart and mind a conviction that says to the world this country is not merely a kinda-state-in-Afrika. We are, I believe, the potential of the modern state. It is not possible with issues like the current Thembu issue.
Can we subvert it to pass a different message to not only our country but the rest of a world, which must learn the positives of plurality. Honestly it is not easy to achieve, but we cannot debate it because it is the only way. Our tribal essences must also learn that disturbing the social quiet of this democracy is not only a comment on the might of the state, but it is also a narrative on the many powers of the naïve that will lead us to a disaster.
I don’t like disasters. Disasters don’t like me. They don’t like me because the last time I was involved in one, the disaster could not kill me.
Especially this year should not be seen as my negative year. This, as I said before, is my half-century year. Fifty years on earth does demand a positive essence. I am going to spend this year laughing!