Ledig - There was jubilation in Ledig near Sun City in North West on Saturday when kgosi Solomon Mphuphuthe Monnakgotla was crowned chief of the Bakubung-Ba-Ratheo.
Women ululated and men whistled, some punching the air with their fists, as Solomon Monnakgotla donned the leopard skin to signal his chieftainship.
His inauguration was preceded by a court battle this week in which acting chief Margaret Monnakgotla, who took over the reins in 2012, claimed that Solomon Monnakgotla did not have the support of the tribe.
The North West High Court dismissed the application to interdict the inauguration.
After his coronation Solomon Monnakgotla walked around draped in a leopard skin waving to the cheering crowd.
Among the dignitaries present at the inauguration ceremony were kgosi Nyalala Pilane of the Bakgatla Ba Kgafela in Moruleng, who is also the deputy president of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (Contralesa), Kgosi Madoda Zibi, chairman of the North West House of Traditional Leaders, and other chiefs from various villages across the North West.
– African News Agency