Justice needs to be done.
Image: sora
In your recent report, the Daily News rightly highlighted the continued silence from Premier Thami Ntuli’s office concerning the Certificate of Recognition for iNyokayezwe yabeNguni, iNkosi Phumlani kaMfeka and the eBuNguni Royal Authority.
As a historian whose own family has been woven into the fabric of this land for nearly two centuries, I write not in anger, but with the quiet insistence that history and justice now demand. My ancestor, William Howarth, a global trader from Oldham in Lancashire, settled at St Lucia Bay in the 1840s. He established the first permanent European trading post under the protection, partnership and sovereign authority of King Mkokoba kaNtlekele of the Mfekane. So deep was the alliance that William married Princess Nomandayi Mfekane, daughter of the king. Their union produced my great-grandfather, Charles Ndaba Howarth, whose name carries the blood of both Lancashire and the ancient Mfekane royal house. That marriage was no casual liaison; it was a diplomatic bond between equals, forged in a territory the Mfekane had stewarded since before the mfecane.
The historical record leaves no room for equivocation. The 1675 Portuguese chronicle in Portuguese Asia records the “Kingdom of Virangune (eBuNguni)” stretching from the western shores of Lake St Lucia to Maputo Bay, with all land of the Fumo belonging to its king. A.T. Bryant, in Olden Times In Zululand And Natal (1929), despite his Zulu-centric lens, could not suppress the truth: He described the Mcakweni Royal Palace as “the local Windsor Castle” and Mzingeli kaFunjwa as “an independent king on his own”. Bryant further confirms that the Jele, Msane and Nzimela houses were sub-branches whose apical ancestors were Mfekane princes; their territories were therefore extensions of Mfekane royal dominion.
Yet King Mkokoba’s reign ended in tragedy. Aroused by envy and empowered by King Mpande’s permission, the Hlabisa, Mkhwanazi and Mdletshe clans – lineages that had only lately risen under Zulu patronage – assassinated him and severed his head. That act of regicide did not erase the Mfekane title; it merely stained the historical record with injustice. The later prominence of those clans under Mpande does not rewrite the senior status of the Mfekane great house, which Bryant himself acknowledged as the original landlords of the Western Shores.
Today, iNkosi Phumlani kaMfeka carries this unbroken lineage with dignity and vision. The Ebunguni Royal Resort and Inkosi Mfekaye Wetlands City he champions represent a transformative opportunity for the ground where my ancestor once traded under Mkokoba’s protection – jobs, investment, and sustainable development rooted in the community that has held these wetlands since the 17th century.
The delay in issuing the Certificate is no longer administrative; it is a denial of both historical truth and constitutional duty. Section 211 of the Constitution recognises traditional leadership according to customary law. The Royal Family has fulfilled its obligations. The descendants of the original Mfekane custodians – and those, like my family, who have lived here in their shadow – await justice.
Premier Thami Ntuli, the historical record is clear, the oral tradition consistent, and the developmental imperative urgent. Release the certificate without delay. Restore what the ancestors already possessed. Only then can the Sovereign Bridge between ancient dignity and future prosperity finally be crossed.
The wetlands have waited long enough. The blood of Mkokoba and the memory of the alliance my ancestor sealed with his house – still cries from these shores. Honour them now.
US President Donald Trump insists that Iran wants to end the war “so badly” that it’s desperate for a peace deal. He claimed the US was busy negotiating a peace deal to end the war with Iran.
Trump says the US gave a 15-point peace plan to Iran via Pakistan, with three main demands: Iran must dismantle its nuclear power plants, stop supporting and arming militias, and open the Straits of Hormuz. Trump has called for a 5-day ceasefire while negotiations take place, but in the same breath has ordered 2,000 airborne troops to the region. Is Trump serious about ending the war or just buying time to launch another attack?
While the firing of missiles and rockets has stopped for a while, a war of words has erupted. Iranian media has reported that Teheran has rejected the US peace proposal. We really don’t know what is really going on as both sides give conflicting messages. We must also not forget Trump’s sidekick, Israel. Having flattened Gaza, they have turned their attention to Lebanon.
Though they appear to be so pious, they are, in fact, a vengeful nation. Like Shakespeare’s Shylock the Jew, they want their pound of flesh. | T Markandan Kloof
DAILY NEWS