Controversies: Mthethwa clan fights over Dingiswayo throne
Following the death of Inkosi Ntemba Mthethwa in 2017, the House of Dingiswayo kaJobe of the Mthethwa clan in eMpangeni, northern KwaZulu-Natal, is embroiled in a fierce court struggle about who should succeed him.
The conflict began when some family members selected Mduduzeni kaNtemba, the son of Inkosi Ntemba’s fifth wife, as the new Inkosi. Speaking on behalf of the family, James Mthethwa stated that Mduduzeni kaNtemba is the legal successor because his mother, the fifth wife, was adopted into the first wife’s great house, kaMnqayi.
“Because his mother, MaCele, was adopted into the noble house of kaMnqayi, she was entitled to give birth to an heir. “Even though the firstborn of kaMnqayi, the late Mbuso wabaThethwa, is still alive, his half-brother Mduduzeni should take the throne,” according to Mthethwa. However, the children of Mbuso wabaThethwa contend that their uncle should ascend the kingdom, claiming that the kingship belongs to them because their grandmother was the great wife.
This situation is analogous to the dispute within the Zulu royal family over the throne, where King Misuzulu kaZwelithini is at odds with his half-brother, Prince Simakade kaZwelithini, who claims to be the true heir because Queen Regent Mantfombi kaSobhuza adopted him.
The Mthethwa clan is significant in Zulu royal history because King Shaka was nurtured and tutored by King Dingiswayo of the Mthethwa tribe. Dingiswayo prepared Shaka to succeed his late father, King Senzangakhona kaJama, on the throne.
The case is still before the Pietermaritzburg High Court. New Inkosi Mduduzeni kaNtemba of the Mthethwa clan is competing with his brother’s offspring for the throne.
Leave a Comment