Thohoyandu - South African President Jacob Zuma has been barred from conferring Kingship status to Toni Mphephu Ramabulana as the king of the Vha Venda, pending a review application outcome.
This after Vha Venda kingship contender Masindi Mphephu Ramabulana succeeded in a legal application to interdict next week Friday’s planned coronation ceremony.
Masindi dragged Zuma and Mphephu to court and argued that the coronation ceremony, if executed, would prejudice their legal application to have the Mphephu status review.
The legal wrestling featured among other gender and equality disputes as the 25-year-old challenged Mphephu.
Advocate Dali Mpofu, for Masindi, brought the application against Zuma, Mphephu and the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen, arguing that the coronation ceremony needed to be stopped as it would prejudice his client.
“It is wrong to subject the applicant and the people to the wrong [process],” Mpofu told the court.
Mphephu was set to ascend to the throne next week after the Nhlapo Commission tasked to investigate Traditional leadership dispute found that Mphephu was the rightful king of the Vha Venda kingdom.
“There should be no coronation ceremony and there should be no activities until the review on application is finalised,” Mpofu told the court.
He further told the court that it would be undermining the rule of law and justice if Zuma and his entourage endorsed Mphephu as the king until the court determined who was the rightful king.
In 2012, President Zuma accorded Mphephu kingship status and awaited the Makhado descendants to decide on the day and time for the king’s coronation.
At issue is that Masindi is a woman and that the Vha Venda had never had a female monarch.
“Even if she was to be barred on basis of gender, which is unconstitutional, [Zuma] acted unlawfully in awarding Mphephu kingship status. All what we are saying is that in the wait for this matter to be resolved by the court, don’t do what you are about to do,” argued, Mpofu.
Mpofu argued that Zuma should not issue a symbolic certificate to endorse Mphephu and have him take an oath of office as the king.
“We have a situation wherein the president is party to the main application, and take sides by endorsing the disputed kingship.”
Mpofu also referred the court to the pending Bapedi kingship due to the legal battle in court, saying government knew that if there was a pending application in court, it was illegal to continue with the coronation ceremony.
The court ruled that it was satisfied on submissions made by the applicant and granted the interdict to stop the coronation ceremony.
The Vha Venda kingdom has been without a king since the death of Patrick Ramaano Mphephu Ramabulana and the relegation of the Vha Venda kingdom status to mere senior traditional leadership.
However, it was not clear as to when the protracted dispute would be heard in court and when it was set to review the Nhlapo Commission’s decision to endorse Mphephu as king.
African News Agency