Africa-Press – South-Africa. Former president Nelson Mandela’s grandson, Mandla Zwelivelile Mandela, has summarily dismissed AbaThembu King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo’s astonishing claims that the former statesman was behind his 2015 imprisonment.
Dalindyebo, 58, claimed Mandela was the culprit and then president Jacob Zuma was merely fulfilling the wishes of the late statesman when his government made him the first monarch to go to jail.
The AbaThembu King made these claims during a recent podcast interview on kwaNtu BPM with a trio of radio presenters.
During the 1-hour-and-20-minute interview posted on YouTube, Dalindyebo tells Phiwo “DJ Pastor” Nozewu, Mafa Bavuma and Mluleki Ntsabo, that Mandela, who was his uncle, had tried to dethrone and jail.
But Madiba’s grandson, who is the chief of Mvezo and the royal house of Mandela, rubbished the claims, saying it was a conspiracy theory that seeks to divert attention from more pressing matters.
“Let’s just abandon any talk of Nkosi Dalibhunga [Mandela] coercing anyone to do anything. He has had to make some tough choices in his lifetime but that was definitely not one of those choices and ponderances of this nature do not serve us or advance us in any way,” said Mandla Mandela.
He said his grandfather was a global icon of justice and peace.
“We are facing the worst global crisis and the spectre of a third world war of the nuclear kind hangs ominously over our heads. In such a context to engage in conspiracy theories serves only to divert us from more pressing tasks at hand.
“In fact, it may be argued that such an exercise in futility is tantamount to fiddling while Rome is burning,” added Mandla Mandela.
Instead, he urged Dalindyebo to work together with the royal house of Mandela to strive to advance the development in the kingdom as well as the country.
Mandela, the first democratically elected president, comes from the nation of AbaThembu, predominantly found in the Eastern Cape.
Zuma’s spokesperson Mzwanele Manyi confirmed that Zuma had heard Dalindyebo’s interview.
“We don’t have a view on this matter whatsoever. It’s the king who made all those claims. Don’t speak to us,” Manyi said.
Dalindyebo said: “My imprisonment was initiated by my own blood-uRholihlahla.
“He had initially failed to convince Thabo Mbeki to imprison me,” Dalindyebo told the presenters, adding that Zuma simply followed Mandela’s orders.
Explaining how this happened, Dalindyebo said that Zuma’s rise to the ANC presidency after the 2007 ANC elective conference in Polokwane had split the party, and Zuma lobbied Madiba to be on his side.
Dalindyebo added:
Madiba agreed but gave Zuma a list of conditions which included dethroning and sending me to jail. It was never Zuma’s intention to send me to jail, he was simply keeping his end of the bargain with Madiba.
Dalindyebo said his relationship with Madiba soured after he defied the former president’s orders to stop participating in anti-apartheid activities and study to become highly educated.
Dalindyebo did the opposite and joined the ANC’s military wing uMkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in exile.
Zuma was one of the MK leaders at the time.
Dalindyebo told the trio of his long history with Zuma during the underground days.
“There was never bad blood between me and Msholozi. During those years, Msholozi got me out of trouble many times. He would travel wherever he was to address my challenges in Zambia and Zimbabwe. I was youthful and a troublemaker at the time,” said Dalindyebo.
Dalindyebo was found guilty of seven counts of kidnapping, three of assault, three of arson, one culpable homicide and one of defeating the ends of justice in 2009 by the Eastern Cape High Court. He was sentenced to 12 years in jail.
His imprisonment began in 2015 after he lost an appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal and became the first monarch to be jailed by the post-apartheid government.
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At the time of his imprisonment Dalindyebo was appearing in the media often sharply criticising Zuma.
However, Dalindyebo defended Zuma in the podcast interview, claiming that Zuma was not behind his jailing.
He was released from prison by President Cyril Ramaphosa on a special remission of sentence on 23 December 2019 after serving only four years of his sentence.
Major AbaThembu territories are the towns of Mthatha, Mqanduli and Ngcobo including all villages surrounding the areas.
Dalindyebo ascended to the throne in 1989 and enjoys strong support from his loyal subjects.
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