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News - Date: 23 December 2005
Another two Venda kingship contenders emerged and tabled their evidence before the Nhlapo Commission in Thohoyandou last Thursday.
The two, Tshidziwelele of the Ngona tribe and Ravhura of Makonde, were silent during the cold war over the kingship of the Venda tribe amongst the Mphephu, Tshivhase and Mphaphuli Dynasties two years ago. They “woke up” in 2004 when Pres Thabo Mbeki appointed the Nhlapo Commission to investigate the kingship problems in all the provinces, and the two chiefs submitted their documents stating their claim.
Tshidziwelele said that the Vha-Ngonas are early inhabitants of Venda and that their capital city was Mapungubwe. The Nhlapo Commission further heard that the Ngonas were conquered by the Vhasenzi (Singos) and the Vhalemba, who were coming from the present Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Vhasenzi and the Lembas left their ruins in DRC, and later came to the Zoutpansberg, the country of the original Vha-Venda who were called Vha-Ngona. Having settled here in Venda, Vhasenzi and Vhalemba lost their Kalanga affinities through intermarriage with Vha-Ngona wives, and were assimilated into Tshingona culture and language.
His references were also based on totems and history books. He said that the king of Mapungubwe was Tshidziwelele who was killed at his kraal by Vele Lambeu of the Masingo clan.
The Ravhura clan also confirmed to the Commission that they are the descendants of Vele La Mbeu, king of Dzata. They claimed they are suitable candidates for the Venda kingship. Ravhura said his clan remained silent like a comrade out of the country, waiting for freedom. Ravhura is the suitable heir of the Venda kingship.
Adv Vuyo Walter Duba, representing the Ramabulana Dynasty said there are three types of traditional leaders: King, Senior Traditional leader and Gota. Duba explained said Toni Mphephu is the right descendent of Mpofu and others born from other houses do not deserve the kingship. He said the 28 senior traditional leaders in Venda who accepted Mphephu as their king are on the right track.
According to Duba, Tshivhase wants to divide the Venda tribe into three while they have the mission of reconciling the Venda people. Former military Colonel Gabriel Ramuswana overthrew the Venda government and suspended the position of Khosi Khulu and refused to reinstate it, Duba said. In 1990, the Mushasha Commission abolished the position of Khosi Khulu in Venda, but its results were never published.
Dr Allen Budeli said the Tshivhase Dynasty moved from Dzata because of a feud and there was no security, thus they moved. “We never recognized Mphephu as our leader, even when he was chief minister of the former Venda.” He said Tshivhase has 76 headmen under him. The Tshivhase have ruled since 1800.
Supporting the Mphaphuli Clan, Adv Tshifhiwa Maumela Mphaphuli said after the disentanglement of the Dzata kingdom, none of the five houses ruled one another. “Three paramount chiefs started, which is Ramabulana, Tshivhase, and Mphaphuli. The Ramabulana family took advantage of the Land Act of 1913 under missionaries. They were given their position of paramount chief by the apartheid regime. Today, the commission has to heal the wounds inflicted by the past government. We were not allowed to have any say in the Mphephu government. We established our kingdom at Tshitomboni, and we need the destroyed heritage to be reconstructed.”
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