New acting chief “not welcome” at Dopeni Ha-Ralinala

Hardly a month has passed after the death and subsequent burial of Chief Khakhathi Ralinala (48) of Dopeni Ha-Ralinala in the Nzhelele area, who was buried at the sacred royal burial grounds a fortnight ago, and already an ugly war is brewing which looks set to tear the family apart.

In the centre of the war is the imposition of an acting chief, who was allegedly chosen by Mailausumbwa Kennedy Tshivhase against the family’s choice.

At the weekend, a delegation from the royal kraal at Mukumbani, sent by Mailausumbwa Tshivhase to introduce the new acting chief to the family and the community, left in a huff after angry villagers threatened violence should Mukumbani impose a leader on them. They were told in their faces that they would not choose a person that the community does not approve of.

Sources close to Limpopo Mirror said that after the passing of Ralinala, the royal family decided to install the Ndumi, Elijah Ralinala in an acting capacity as leader. It is alleged during one of the family meetings, that the chairperson of the family, Mr Johannes Ralinala was summoned to Mukumbane, but he did not come back to report as to why he had been summoned.

It later allegedly emerged that Mr Johannes Ralinala had been handpicked by Tshivhase as the new acting chief. This did not go down well with family members who had already made their preferred choice.

It is alleged that when they went to Mukumbani to report about their decision as a family, they were ridiculed and scorned off. A pamphlet distributed in the village on the day the new acting chief was to be installed, accuses Tshivhase of having accepted a bribe of R36 000 from a member of the royal family to be made acting chief.

Members of the community and the family are fuming. “This is against our culture. When a Chief dies, our culture dictates that if the Ndumi is still alive, he is the first person to be considered for the position. The family would then make recommendations and report to the senior traditional leader for blessings. It is not right that the senior traditional leader make a choice and instruct the royal family,” said a member of the royal family, who preferred anonymity.

The source said that the family felt belittled, because, after paying R1 000 to meet Tshivhase, he chose to "swear" at them rather than listen to them. “We have been undermined. We were not consulted, even about the programme of the meeting on Sunday. We were later told that the programme had been drafted without us at the local bridge by the delegation. This is not procedurally correct, as we should have been consulted,” said the source.

The source further said that they would not back down and would not accept the choice from Mukumbani as they have already made up their minds.

Mailausumbwa Kennedy Tshivhase, however, paints a different story all together and refuted all the allegations. “As responsible leadership we want development in the area and the candidate they put forward to us did not meet our set requirements. We could not compromise because of the pressure from a few individuals,” said Tshivhase.

He added that Mr Johannes Ralinala, chairperson of the Ralinala Royal family, has a good track record. “We do not see any leadership in their candidate, but Johannes has the support of the structures and he would act until the rightful heir is installed. We want stability in the area and with him as leader we see a brighter future for that community.”

In response to the allegations of bribery money, Tshivhase vehemently denied that and said that he was contemplating legal action against the author of the rumour.

Date:24 October 2014

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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