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“I am not a new king; I was born a king through my bloodline.”
This is what the recently legitimised Bapedi King Thulare Victor Thulare III Sekhukhune said moments after he laid his hands on the official recognition certificate bestowed on him by Deputy Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Obed Bapela at a modest event on Friday.
The gesture was another step that marked the end of a legal battle over the Bapedi crown, which has been ongoing for decades.
Thulare said he planned to hit the ground running by taking leadership of the Bapedi, burying the hatchet and declaring that he was ready to welcome with open arms the man he respectfully referred to as “uncle”, former acting king Kenneth Kgagudi Sekhukhune, whom many Bapedi fondly refer to as “KK”.
The latter was deposed after a commission on traditional leadership last year ruled that Thulare was the legal king of Bapedi, which Kgagudi refused to accept and instead challenged legally.
Read: Overjoyed new Bapedi king: ‘I am now where I am supposed to be’
Kgagudi launched a legal battle over the kingship and he fought the decision all the way to the Constitutional Court, which was where justices finally put an end to his quest and declared Thulare as the rightful king.
Looking dapper and composed in a suit and tie, Thulare exudes a modest yet overwhelmingly inscrutable presence.
Before our interview begins, he sits sandwiched between two assistants as the rules of etiquette are read out to us.
“You may address your questions directly to the king, however, his response will be directed to his representatives, who will then direct the response to you,” one of the men from his entourage explains sternly.
But the most important man in the room joyfully, albeit reservedly, greets us, speaking only when spoken to.
Moments earlier, ululations pierced the room as Thulare put permanent ink to his certificate of recognition. He responded with a wave of his hand to the dancing and ululations of approval.
He later described his recognition certificate as “a very important piece of paper that symbolises struggles and victories”.
Not for a moment does the king lose his humility. He listens attentively, ponders intently and responds with measured speech – of course, each response relayed through his assistants, to whom he speaks in Sepedi.
Having been embroiled in a prolonged legal brawl with Kgagudi, Thulare goes on to explain how the former became “a victim of a third force determined to ensure a rift between us [Kgagudi and himself]”.
“When this battle with my uncle began, I was young. I had no idea that it would be a long-lasting one … He is family, he is my uncle and, at the back of my head, I always had this realisation that a third force was pushing this agenda. People wanted to benefit through him and they pushed him to fight me,” the king says.
Thulare is optimistic that any remaining rifts between him and his uncle will eventually be mended.
“He is still my uncle … not my enemy. If KK ever draws close to me, I will welcome him with open arms because I want to support him so that he can be a person with a position which he knows … I want to forgive and forget,” he says.
Thulare, however, does not take kindly to the term “new king”.
“I was born a king through my bloodline,” he reiterates.
Kgagudi assumed the role of acting king in 1976 after Thulare’s father, Rhyne Thulare, declined to assume the position without the blessing of his mother, Mankopodi, who was acting regent after the death of her husband in 1956.
Rhyne died in 2007, while the Bapedi kingship legal battle was still raging.
Thulare said the recent developments marked a new beginning and an era that would “restore dignity, respect and morality” to the kingdom.
He said his main focus was on “uplifting and bettering the lives of the Bapedi through development”, adding that, “as a young person coming in, I will bring about new things”.
“My people should know that I am coming. I am coming to help them and that is what it’s all about – the people.
“One of my main priorities will be developing our area because our people are sharing water with donkeys. That is not life.”
Among the places that fall under Thulare’s traditional authority are those surrounded by platinum mines and natural resources. These areas, like many others in South Africa, have for years shown little improvement despite the wealth that they sit on. The communities continue to face daily struggles of poverty, water shortages and unemployment.
Thulare said now that the legal battle was over, it was time to restore the dignity of the Bapedi.
He repeatedly emphasised the importance of leaving the past in the past and rebuilding the Bapedi kingdom.
“There is a great lack of development. That will change as we work hand in hand, side by side with government,” he said.
What developments would you like to see King Thulare bringing to the Bapedi?
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