Defiant Makinana family to proceed with enrobing event
THE Makinana royal family of the AmaNdlambe tribe will today inaugurate their new leader, despite the disapproval of AmaRharhabe Queen Noloyiso Sandile and her council.
Chief Andile Makinana is set to be enrobed today as head of the tribe at Fort Murray village.
On Wednesday, however, a general meeting attended by 38 of the 42 AmaRharhabe chiefs at the Mngqesha Great Place resolved that the event be shelved.
The chiefs agreed that the infighting among Makinana family members should be resolved.
Chief Makinana, who has occupied the chieftainship since 2015 following the death of his father, Chief Daliwe Makinana, is not on speaking terms with his mother and siblings.
His mother and siblings attended the Mngqesha meeting and agreed on the postponement of the enrobing. Delegates there warned that should the event go ahead, “they [members of Makinana royal family] will bear the consequences”.
However, some members of the royal family are refusing to bow to the royal decree, and will continue with the enrobing today.
The Makinana family said if the queen did not officiate at the event, they would use one of their senior royal family members to do so, even if it was without the queen’s blessing.
Makinana family royal spokesman Prince Mthuthuzeli Makinana said despite continuing with the event, “we respect the queen, the Sandile royal family and her council. But this is an unfortunate situation where unprecedented things happened”.
Makinana said despite the royal disapproval, AmaXhosa King Mpendulo Sigcawu, cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa and his head of department, Monwabisi Baza, were expected to attend the enrobing.
AmaRharhabe spokesman Prince Zolile Burns-Ncamashe declined to comment on the Makinana infighting, but said the royal prohibitory decree was imposed due to failure to observe crucial royal protocol.
“It is unfortunate that the installation of Makinana will have to be rescheduled. The queen is unable to officiate at this stage owing to certain issues of protocol and process that have to be observed.”
The royal house wanted to accelerate the enrobing after the issues had been dealt with. —