Nine months after Ulundi was rejected as the seat of KwaZulu-Natal's legislature in favour of Pietermaritzburg, the sensitive issue has again become a political football between the leaders of the Inkatha Freedom Party and the African National Congress.
In a speech labelled by ANC leader Sbu Ndebele as "incitement to violence", KwaZulu-Natal Premier Lionel Mtshali called on his party supporters to descend on the legislature during its opening later in February.
Last Sunday, Mtshali, addressing a rally in Elandskop outside Pietermaritzburg, strongly urged the amakhosi (chiefs) to organise transport for their amabutho (Zulu warriors) to descend on the legislature, in protest against the moving of the province's centre of law-making from Ulundi.
A fuming Mtshali lambasted the ANC for the move to Pietermaritzburg, dubbing it "the second burning of Ulundi".
"The ANC has burned Ulundi for the second time," he said.
"They have taken all the furniture from the Ulundi parliament and it now stands empty," he said, as he encouraged amabutho to wear their traditional attire and carry spears to parliament's opening on February 28.
"We want you all to descend on Pietermaritzburg on this day.
"We want amabutho to come fully-clad in traditional gear, carrying everything that comes with it, even the shining objects (spears), to make a statement that the parliament should be in Ulundi and not that old colonial building," said Mtshali.
On Sunday, Ndebele reacted angrily to this call, describing it as "incitement of the first order".
Addressing the funeral service of ANC MP Magwaza Maphalala, in Pietermaritzburg, Ndebele suggested that Mtshali's call was unacceptable.
"Mtshali's statement is the incitement of the first order. Those who have the illusion that they will descend on Pietermaritzburg must forget it," he said.
The decision to use Pietermaritzburg as the only seat of the provincial legislature was taken at a highly charged sitting in Ulundi, which saw angry IFP supporters threatening to overrun the legislature buildings in May 2002.
At the time, the IFP stormed out of the legislature before a vote was taken on the issue.
With majority support in the house, it was then agreed that Pietermaritzburg become the seat, ending the dual-seat situation which had cost the province millions of rands since 1994.
But, it appears that the IFP has not given up on the hope that Ulundi could still be reinstated.
Tempers are expected to run high at the opening in two weeks' time, should the amabutho heed Mtshali's call and descend on the legislature.
The opening of the legislature on February 28 will be the first such ceremony to take place in Pietermaritzburg, which is why IFP supporters are targeting it.