The issue of traditional leadership amongst the Vhavenda Chiefs, which has been persisting for many years, was finally laid to rest when Pres Jacob Zuma made a formal announcement, declaring that the Vhavenda kingship would come from the Mphephu Ramabulana clan.

Many commissions, which cost the tax payer millions, were instituted to determine the rightful heirs to thrones throughout the country, but their findings were never made public.

Hopes that the problem of the heir to the Vhavenda kingship would be resolved were raised high when, in 2003, 23 senior Vhavenda chiefs deliberated on the issue and voted for Vho Thovhele Toni Mphephu Ramabulana as the king of the Vhavenda. The hope was squashed when one powerful Vhavenda leader, Vho Thovhele Midiyavhathu Tshivhase, voted to the contrary and threatened to seek reprieve on the matter through the highest courts of the country.

Chiefs of the Vhavenda who submitted their claims on the kingship before the Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims included Vho ThovheleTshivhase, Vho Thovhele Mphaphuli, Vho ThovheleRavhura and the Vhangona Cultural Movement under Tshidzuwelele Nephawe.

The issue has now been laid to rest. It is formal: Vho Thovhele Toni Mphephu Ramabulana is the heir to the Vhavenda kingship and is now the head of all chiefs in Venda.

On Saturday, the whole of Venda converged at the Royal Mphephu guest house at Nzhelele in the Makhado area. The announcement by Pres Jacob Zuma on Thursday left many wondering who would take the position of heir to the kingship as Zuma had said the name would be announced after submission by the family. The celebrations gave platform to the royal family to clear the air.

The Mphephu Royal family made it clear that they have only one king, namely Toni Mphephu Ramabulana, and that there is no other contender to the throne. The family displayed its unity when a welcome home party was hosted for King Toni Mphephu Ramabulana. “We have one king and there is no one other than our king, Toni Mphephu Ramabulana, “ said the royal spokesperson, Vhokhotsimunene Vho Japan Mphephu. He said there was a technical error in the president´s speech that had led many to believe that there could be another name as an incumbent to the kingship, but added that the error had not caused any damage as the family and the community knew who their king was. The party coincided with the king’s birthday.

Amongst the guests were the head of the Limpopo traditional circumcision school task team, Khosi Vho Vusani Netshimbupfe, many chiefs from all over the former Venda homeland, businessmen, community structures and many members of the community. The proceedings started with the king being led by the royal aides, waving to the crowds and dancing before addressing them. “We have travelled a long way to reach this far. I am just a humble servant of you, my family, and I have come to report back on what you have sent me to do," said ecstatic king Mphephu amidst wild applause from family members and community.

The youthful king said it could not have happened if it were not for the support of his family and the community. “We have reached this day because we had a common purpose in mind, that we make the ancestors happy by putting the Mphephu kingship in its rightful place. Here we are today - let us continue being united and stop pointing fingers,” he said. In a typical Madiba style, Mphephu urged all to forget about the past and focus on uniting the whole Venda nation. He extended an olive branch to all who were contenders to the throne and urged them to come back as they still have a special place in the royal palace. “This is the time to serve our people and we should stop dividing ourselves. We must start a healing process which will benefit the whole Vhavenda nation,” he said.

He said one of his priorities would be to make sure that all chiefs in Venda were united and all had one goal, that of serving their subjects. “We have a mammoth task ahead of us. People are crying out there for basic services and it is up to us as traditional leaders to speed up that vehicle, so that the majority of our poor benefit from the fruits of democracy,” he said. Mphephu he regretted that many from his family had passed on without seeing that day. His mother had passed on earlier this year.

Chief Vusani Netshimbupfe urged all to rejoice that the many years of relentless struggles with the apartheid regime and colonialists had at long last paid dividends. “We have suffered for more than 300 years when we were disempowered by colonialists and the apartheid government. This is the moment all Vhavenda have been waiting for, “he said. Netshimbupfe said he was happy the new democratic order had kept its word when they said they would restore traditional leadership to its rightful position in the community. He said he was encouraged by the new king, who had shown that he would take the reconciliation way and receive all chiefs, even those who were contenders to the throne.

Mphephu was born in 1972 in the Nzhelele area outside Makhado. He attended school at Dzanani, Nzhelele and Mphephu before proceeding to the then University of the North. He was crowned in 1998 at Dzanani during a ceremony that was officiated over by the former president of SA, Nelson Mandela. He has been in the forefront in the transformation of traditional leadership that it could be better placed to respond to modern challenges that communities, more especially those in Venda, are faced with. He has also developed a keen interest in education where he has started giving out bursaries to needy students.

When asked how he viewed the report, Vho Thovhele Midiyavhathu Tshivhase, one of the main contenders for the throne, said the report did not come as a surprise to him. "I knew it would be like this. This report has been doctored, but we are not going to take it lying down. We are presently in the process of reviewing the whole report and our lawyers are busy with it. We are going to take legal action as there many flaws in the report," said Tshivhase.