Ndebele King Makhosonke Mabhena the second, has once again called on government to return the land that was taken away from the Ndebele tribes.
Makhosonke the second, who was born Enoch Mabena, repeated the call during his address to thousands of Ndebele people at the 39th annual commemoration of Ndebele King Silamba at the Komjekejeke Heritage Site in Walmansthal, north of Pretoria.
Today #KingSilamba we celebrating King Silamba Commemoration cultural festival at Komjekejeke in Wallmansdaal @GautengProvince @NationalCoGTA @pretorianews @1CONTRALESA @CONTRALESA pic.twitter.com/ZWg9aXzdvV
— CoGTA (@GDCoGTA) March 2, 2019
#KingSilambacommemoration we are live at Komjekejeke in Wallmansdaal, Ndebele warriors accompanying King Makhosonke Mabhena pic.twitter.com/Zix1e6X3Nc
— CoGTA (@GDCoGTA) March 2, 2019
Makhosonke has urged government to reconsider their land claim that was first submitted in 1998.
“Our demand is the land that belongs to the Ndebele people as a nation because we are a nation because of the land. If we don’t have land then we would not be a nation. That’s why I’m saying what we have claimed prior 1998 from Pretoria, Bronkhorstspruit, Rayton, Cullinan and Delmas which the land claims have dismissed our land claim. They have given us few portions. We are saying we are going to test that before the court.”
King Makhosonke the second has used the annual commemoration of the Kingdom of amaNdebele to complain about what he calls the newly established Mpumalanga University’s ignorance of the IsiNdebele language. Makhosonke says the failure to offer iIsiNdebele by the local university has compelled them to seek assistance from outside the province.
#KingSilambacommemoration King Makhosonke Mabhena urges parents to support their children’s education because without education the future is bleak pic.twitter.com/pqnFaJHuJX
— CoGTA (@GDCoGTA) March 2, 2019
King Makhosonke praised the University of Venda and the North West University for taking a lead in championing the Ndebele language.
“Our worry is especially the University of Mpumalanga. Their core mandate as Mpumalanga is to develop IsiNdebele and IsiSwati. Therefore, it means the university that is there in Mpumalanga should concentrate on developing IsiSwati and Ndebele, but you’ll understand that IsiSwati they do have a blue print in IsiSwati. They are ahead of us. We don’t have any blue print. Therefore we are complaining because presently the University of Mpumalanga they are teaching IsiSwati only.”
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