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·      Gladwin Koketso Mvianga has lodged an application in the North-West High Court ·      Mvianga wants the House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders to institute an investigation or inquiry into the Royal Bafokeng throne ·      He claims that his application was misconstrued

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Sizwe sama Yende 

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Claimant to the Royal Bafokeng chieftaincy, Gladwin Koketso Mvianga (30), has accused the royal family of having misconstrued the nature and basis of his North-West High Court application to have an inquiry or investigation instituted into the dispute.

Mvianga lodged his application last year to get an order that directs the provincial House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders to institute an investigation or inquiry into dispute he has declared.

He has claimed that he is the son of Kgosi Lebone II who died in 2000 and therefore the rightful heir to the chieftaincy of Royal Bafokeng. Lebone II was succeeded by his younger brother Kgosi Leruo Molotlegi.

Mvianga’s contention is that as Lebone II’s biological son, he deserved to have taken over the throne.

In his answering affidavit to Royal Bafokeng opposing papers compiled Mvianga said: “Tumagole Tumagole (who desposed the answering affidavit on behalf of Royal Bafokeng) has misconstrued the nature and the basis of the application by me. Tumagole mostly attacks me instead of dealing with the facts and the legal submissions, which have been raised in this application.”

Mvianga wrote that the applicatiom:

·      Did not concern itself with seeking an order for his appointment as the senior traditional leader or Kgosi as indicated by Tumagole’s affidavit;

·      Was not about seeking an order from the court to usurp powers, which are, by custom, vested in the royal family;

·      Was not determining his blood relation to the late Kgosi Molotlegi or declaring him as a member of the royal family.

Mvianga claimed in his papers that he wanted the House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders to investigate or institute an inquiry and, if the house failed, Premier Lazarus Mokgosi should do so.

“The fact that the Premier and the House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders are not opposing the application provides a further reason why this application should succeed,” he said.

The Royal Bafokeng richest traditional communities in Africa, thanks to platinum deposits on its land.

When Lebone II died 25 years ago, Mvianga was too young to have raised any dispute. He claimed that as he grew up, some people in Phokeng treated him differently because they understood he could be royal family member.

However, he was not part of the family because the relationship between Lebone II and his mother, Stella Juliet Setshedi, did not go far.

Mvianga was raised his stepfather from Mozambique and he uses his surname.

Mvianga began a campaign to claim what he believes is rightful his in 2020. A DNA test was done, but he has cried chicanery about the processes followed that led to the results coming back negative. Mvianga is now leaning towards the idea of having the test done from the specimen of Kgoshi Lebone II.

This may only mean that Kgosi Lebone’s body will have to be exhumed.