Durban — The chairperson of the House of Traditional Leaders in KwaZulu-Natal iNkosi Sifiso Shinga has called on law enforcement agencies to prevent the killing of traditional leaders by using its intelligence services.
Shinga was reacting to the killing of Mbangiseni Mbuyisa who was a ‘king’s eye’, or iso leSilo, on Friday.
Mbuyisa’s death came a week after Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube addressed the spate of killings of traditional leaders in her Sopa speech.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said Mpungamhlophe police were searching for suspects who shot and fatally wounded a 71-year-old man in the Ezibomvu area on Friday night.
Shinga said in most cases the killings of traditional leaders did not happen randomly – their killers took time to plan. This meant police could act on information by whistle-blowers.
“We call on police to be proactive. The killers of traditional leaders don’t just wake up and decide to ambush them. These people plan these killings, so police can prevent them,” Shinga said.
Prince of Onkweni, His Royal Highness Prince Africa Zulu, said he was saddened by Mbuyisa’s death, since the area where he was killed is part of the land allocated to his great-grandfather Prince Shingana by his father, King Mpande. He too called on police intelligence to work harder to prevent the slaughter of traditional leaders.
Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Bongi SitholeMoloi said: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic assassination of Iso leSilo of the KwaNobamba traditional council, Mbangiseni Gibson Mbuyisa, who was gunned down near his business in the Ezibomvu area on Friday night,” Sithole-Moloi said on Saturday.
“As a department, we are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of yet another leader within the province’s institution of traditional leadership.”
The MEC conveyed her condolences to the Mbuyisa family and to His Majesty the King.
Sithole-Moloi said Mbuyisa served the traditional community of KwaNobamba with diligence on behalf of His Majesty King Misuzulu kaZwelithini. He was also a member of the Zululand Local House of Traditional Leaders.
“These attacks threaten to destabilise the institution in our province,” Sithole-Moloi said. “We call on the community to work closely with law enforcement in the hunt for the perpetrators.”
The assassination comes a week after Dube-Ncube revealed that, in a meeting with traditional leaders, several issues were discussed, including the update on the process to resolve the backpay of izinduna and the government’s response to the killing of amakhosi and izinduna.
On the killing of amakhosi and izinduna, Dube-Ncube said the matter had been raised by King Misuzulu kaZwelithini when he presided over the opening of the legislature last week.
Dube-Ncube said the killing of traditional leaders and izinduna was an attack on the state, as it threatened to destabilise an institution critical to stability and order in society.
It was also a symptom of the poison that had entered societal values, where crime had become the order of the day, and murders went unresolved.
She said that at a meeting with the SAPS in January last year it had emerged that the police were investigating 51 murder cases going back to 2012. To date, 30 people have been arrested; 18 cases are still pending in court. In two of these cases, the accused were found guilty. Six remain undetected.
“Among the possible motives have been the struggle for chieftaincy, land and family disputes, and even taxi-related disputes,” Dube-Ncube said.
The security cluster had been asked explore the feasibility of setting up a specialised unit, tasked with looking after the safety of traditional leaders, especially those under security threat.
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