Young royals should ‘go into army’
TWO senior politicians –a deputy minister and opposition party leader – have proposed that sons of kings and chiefs go through compulsory year-long military training so that they can learn discipline and leadership skills to serve their communities better.
UDM president General Bantu Holomisa and amaHegebe Traditional Council head Chief Phathekile Holomisa, also Deputy Minister of Labour, said this would improve the quality of traditional leadership in the country.
Chief Holomisa said an officer’s training course was essential for young traditional leaders.
“They will acquire maximum skills on leadership and discipline as well as endurance and make them better leaders.”
Both said that this would not militarise traditional leaders but empower them as most young royals lacked leadership skills.
General Holomisa said they would request the SA National Defence Force that sons of kings and other traditional leaders take a gap year after matric and serve one year in the defence force to learn discipline. “This can help a lot among the young traditional leaders,” said the former head of the erstwhile Transkei Military Council.
Holomisa said the training he had in mind was not necessarily an officer’s training course, but a special package for young royals.
Officer training refers to training that most military officers have to complete before acquiring an officer’s rank.
“Doing three months recruitment with other months doing planning, taking quick decisions and evaluating current situations and analysing both economic and political situations and understanding of current affairs,” he said.
In neighbouring Swaziland, King Mswati III’s sons also undergo military training.
Further afield British royals, including the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Charles’s sons, William and Harry, also underwent military training.
The Holomisa cousins were speaking at the traditional initiation homecoming ceremony of Phathekile’s eldest son, Prince Jongumsobomvu Jongintaba Holomisa, 18, and his regiment of eight men, including six sons of Holomisa royal family members, at Ngqungqu Great Place near Mqanduli.
Jongumsobomvu is the eldest son of Chief Holomisa and ex-wife Bukelwa Nolizwe Matanzima-Holomisa, daughter of the late leader of the former Transkei, K D Matanzima.
On Friday, Eastern Cape royals including kings and queens attended the Holomisa event while others attended the initiation homecoming of amaZizi traditional leader Chief Manduleli Bikitsha’s son, Prince Manande Gcinumthetho Bikitsha, at Fort Malan near Willowvale.
Chief Bikitsha is a practising medical doctor in the Western Cape while Chief Holomisa, who has been Contralesa president for over 20 years, is an advocate of the high court.
Both rebuked alcohol and drug abuse among young traditional leaders, and stressed the importance of education.
Both Bikitsha and Holomisa took leave to be at home and monitor the initiation of their sons.
Among the royals who attended both the Holomisa and Bikitsha events were amaXhosa King Mpendulo Sigcawu, Western Mpondoland King Ndamase Ndamase, Holomisa’s brother-in-law Western Thembuland King Siyabonga Matanzima, abaThembu Queen Noluntu Dalindyebo, amaRharhabe Kingdom representatives, Contralesa provincial secretary Chief Mkhanyiseli Dudumayo and Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders representative Chief Mkhanyiseli Ranuga. —