The amaXhosa kingdom continues to be plagued by royal dilemmas.
When the new monarch, King Ahlangene Vulikhaya Sigcawu, returned from Malawi, where he was working as South Africa’s ambassador to that country, he found that he had been locked out of the royal residence.
When President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the certificate of recognition of Prince Vulikhaya as king of amaXhosa on February 19, it was hoped that the move would unite the amaXhosa royals who had been fighting over who should take over the throne.
Instead, it has further divided the amaXhosa nation, with those who oppose Vulikhaya’s ascendence not only taking the matter to court, but also allegedly locking him out of Nqadu Great Place, his ancestral home.