AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo remains unapologetic about his profanity-laden address at an EFF rally in the Western Cape, where he launched a scathing attack on senior ANC leaders, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane.
In a widely circulated video of the weekend event, Dalindyebo — who has aligned himself with the EFF after turning his back on the ANC — accused various ruling party leaders of betrayal, referring to them as “sell-outs” and encouraging EFF supporters to chant “voetsek Cyril”.
His choice of words has drawn a sharp rebuke from politicians and traditional leaders.
Through his daughter and spokesperson, Princess Ntando, Dalindyebo defended his remarks this week.
“The king stands by everything he said in that speech, though he made use of some harsh language when translated into English,” Ntando said.
“Nothing he said was vulgar, words like voetsek, which simply means ‘go away’ and mpundu, which refers to bums/cushions, were used simply to relay how strongly frustrated he is with the leadership of those individuals, especially following the instance of the [recent deadly] floods that occurred within his region and instead the premier took a vacation with his family then hosted a lavish mgidi [homecoming ceremony for his initiate sons].
“The king knows very well that while [Mabuyane’s] enjoying luxury trips, there are people who have lost everything and are now sleeping in churches and schools, unsure whether they will receive a hot meal on the day.
“It is unfortunate that the frustration [Dalindyebo] expressed is being overlooked simply because of the choice of words, but the message he wanted to send was that he does not want to be led by criminals and he delivered it to the best of his abilities.
“After years of trying to contact the president and months of pleading with the premier, he will not apologise for using his right to freedom of speech.”
In an open letter addressed to Dalindyebo this week, Chris Hani ANC regional secretary Andile Mini condemned the king’s remarks as “egregious, abusive and blasphemous”.
“I am compelled by conscience and moral conviction to use this open letter to express my profound shock and dismay at the egregious, abusive and blasphemous language you employed during the EFF rally in Khayelitsha,” Mini wrote.
“Your utterances, Zwelibanzi, which included vulgar, profane and impious language, were utterly unbecoming of a traditional leader of your stature.”
Mini, whose region includes Mabuyane’s hometown of Ngcobo, said the insults directed at Ramaphosa, Gwede Mantashe and Mabuyane were “inhumane” and reflected a worrying breakdown in public discourse.
Ntando declined to comment on Mini’s letter, saying the king and Mini had a cordial relationship which allowed Mini to express his grievances directly to the king or to at least address the letter to his house.
“If he wanted to lower the standards of the king to those of mere politics, then that means he has no respect for me, and as for the example I’m setting for my children, let’s just say I am raising children who will never be afraid to challenge the rich and powerful with their words and intellect while using their mother tongue,” Dalindyebo said.
He said he was not a politician and need not explain himself when criticising incompetence.
AbaThembu traditional leader Jingiso Mgudlwa has distanced the royal house from Dalindyebo’s comments, describing them as disgraceful.
Other traditional leaders have added their voices to the growing criticism of Dalindyebo, blasting his “boyish” behaviour.
In a joint statement, the Amandungwana and Hlanga royal houses called Dalindyebo out, demanding that he issue a written public apology and remove “unscrupulous” messages from all social media platforms.
EFF Eastern Cape secretary Simthembile Madikizela defended Dalindyebo, citing the king’s emotional turmoil in the wake of the floods.
“The king recently experienced a tragedy that few can comprehend — the loss of more than 100 lives due to devastating floods,” Madikizela said.
“This has been one of the most painful chapters in our recent history.”
Daily Dispatch
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