The Congress of Traditional Leaders (Contralesa) says it is unacceptable to auction any items belonging to a traditional leader or a senior member of the royal family. This after the High Court in Pretoria last month allowed the daughter of the late Former President Nelson Mandela, Makaziwe Mandela, to auction some of his belongings including his Identity document.
Contralesa President Kgosi Mathupa Mokoena says this is a taboo in African tradition.
“In our culture, any item that belongs to a traditional leader or any senior member of the royal family can’t be seen used by any other except members of the royal family,” says Mokoena.
“There is a ritual that must take place for those items to be distributed to only members of that particular family. The least they can do is for the items to be put in a museum or somewhere else where people can see them and say these are items belonging to Madiba. Not to be used by any other person except members of that particular family,” adds Mokoena.
SAfm’s First Take’s Elvis Presslin spoke to Kgoshi Mathupa Mokoena, the President of the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa (CONTRALESA):
