Johannesburg - DA Eastern Cape leader Athol Trollip is excited about meeting Thembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo in a few days and says the king’s move to the DA should be seen as a “beautiful endorsement” of democracy.
Trollip said he was not bothered by the negative publicity associated with the monarch, one of President Jacob Zuma’s fiercest critics.
The king is also locked in royal battle with Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla, threatening to remove him as chief of Mvezo.
“I’m looking forward to meeting the king… to having discussions with him about constitutionalism and about the DA constitution and our values.
“Based on that discussion we will talk about his membership and what role he can, will or won’t play in the future of the DA. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse but I am scheduled to meet him on July 12,” said Trollip.
He said date of the meeting would most probably change because it falls on the day of his father’s funeral.
Trollip also took a swipe at the ANC, accusing the party of only paying attention to rural folk during election time.
“The ANC thinks that poor rural African people are their voting fodder. And what King Buyelekhaya has done is open up a whole new debate in South Africa that says that even poor rural South Africans can make their own independent political choices. That is the essence of political freedom and democracy. So that’s what excites me about the king’s statements. It excites me because it reflects true liberation,” said Trollip.
The king said when he was in the ANC there was “no problem” with him as a person, adding that the move would be uncomfortable for the ANC with its “patriarchal attitude”.
Dalindyebo said at the weekend that Mamphela Ramphele’s Agang party was one of his options when he opted to break ranks with the ruling party, but “was just scared because it is a new organisation”.
“So I’m going with the DA. The DA has a stigma of race and I want to assist it in getting rid of the race stigma.”
But not all DA members are chuffed about having the controversial king in their rank and file.
One DA MP said the monarch could bring with him “excessive baggage” from the ANC considering his recent rants and past indescretions.
A DA official based in parliament said most members were “not really bothered” by the news.
“Look it was a bit tentative. But we’re always open to suggestions. We’re not one-minded. The king is also from the Eastern Cape which is important,” said the official.
In 2005, Dalindyebo was convicted for offences including kidnapping, culpable homicide, arson and assault. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison but that decision is under appeal.
Dalindyebo is the eldest son of the late King Sabata Dalindyebo who went into exile in 1986 after he was accusing of undermining the authority of the Transkei. Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo also went into exile in Zambia.
The Star