… As Buhari explains: Why I am slow
A South African king who is a nephew of the late Nelson Mandela has begun a 12-year prison sentence for kidnapping, assault and arson.
King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo reported to prison after his legal attempts to overturn his conviction failed.
The case against King Dalindyebo was related to a dispute he had with some of his subjects about two decades ago.
He comes from the Thembu clan, to which Mr Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, belonged.
He is the first monarch to be jailed in South Africa since minority rule ended in 1994.
King Dalindyebo, 51, ascended to the throne in 1989, and has about 700,000 subjects.
South Africa has 10 officially recognised monarchs representing different ethnic groups and clans.
They play a largely ceremonial role, and attend to minor disputes within their communities.
King Dalindyebo was accused of kidnapping a woman and her six children, setting their home on fire and beating up four youths, one of whom died, because one of their relatives had failed to present himself before the king’s traditional court.
He handed himself to prison authorities in the eastern city of Mthatha in compliance with a court order after a judge refused to extend his bail on Wednesday, the justice ministry said in a statement.
Earlier, Justice Minister Michael Masutha turned down his request for a retrial, saying there was no legal justification for doing so.
King Dalindyebo had maintained his innocence, saying he disciplined his subjects under customary law.
Many of the king’s subjects feel that he has sullied the reputation of the Thembu royal household.
His father, Sabata, was a revered monarch who fought against minority rule, and campaigned for the unity of South Africa’s ethnic groups.
In contrast, his son turned out to be a disgrace, and has paid the ultimate price.
More significantly, South Africa has once again demonstrated that, despite its leadership problems, it upholds the rule of law, even if it means locking up a king and alienating some of his subjects ahead of crucial local elections next year.
It is also to the monarch’s credit that after exhausting all his legal options, he reported to prison rather than daring the police to come and arrest him at his palace in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province.
In the meantime, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday responded to criticisms on the alleged slow nature of his administration, saying he adopted the style deliberately so that he would not make mistakes.
According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, the President gave the explanation while receiving a delegation of Women In Politics Forum at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
While defending the records of the administration in response to criticism that it is slow, Buhari was quoted as arguing that steps must be taken with caution to avoid mistakes. He said any mistake by his administration would be a disaster for the country.
“People say we are slow. We are trying to change structures put in place by our predecessors in office for 16 years. If we hurry it, we will make mistakes. That will be a disaster,” the President said.
While decrying the spate of terrorism in the North East, Buhari told his guests that a committee to rehabilitate infrastructure and resettle Internally Displaced Persons in that part of the country would soon be inaugurated. He said the committee which will be led by Lt.-Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd.) will also include Alhaji Aliko Dangote.
He added that all forms of assistance in this respect generated locally and from foreign countries as promised by the G-7 will be channeled through the committee when it is inaugurated.
He said that he had compiled a list of damaged infrastructure, including schools and bridges and handed it to the leaders of the G7 and the United States, adding that “I didn’t ask for a Kobo (in cash). It is up to them to choose what they will undertake. Already, some of them have sent teams to verify our assertions.”
Buhari regretted that women and children are the worst victims of the Boko Haram sect.
He said, “In the North-East, what I saw for myself and on those clips is a source of concern for people with conscience.
“They are mostly women, and children who are orphaned. Some of them don’t even know where they come from. This is the pathetic situation in which the country has found itself.”
The President also said that the fight for the return of the Chibok girls is ongoing and “continues to be a most worrying issue” to his government. He promised that his administration will do all within its powers in making the best efforts to secure their freedom.
The President acknowledged the case made by the WIPF for better representation of women in his government and assured that women would fare well in the composition of parastatals and their boards in the first quarter of the year. He also assured them that the country has a budget proposal for the new year that is good for employment and manufacturing.
“By the end of the second quarter, the full impact of these positive measures will be felt,” he told the visiting women.
The WIPF, made up of women leaders from 26 registered political parties led by Ebere Ifendu of the Labour Party expressed their full support for the government’s war on corruption and insecurity.
BBC with additional report from The Citizen
