Back Print this page
Legalbrief   |   your legal news hub Sunday 14 December 2025

King threatens legal action over Zuma letter

AbaThembu king Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo has slammed President Jacob Zuma and the governing African National Congress during a meeting of the Thembu nation to discuss his possible removal by the President, says a City Press report.

Zuma wrote to Dalindyebo two weeks ago asking him to give reasons why he should not be removed as king following a complaint to Zuma by 14 members of the AbaThembu. Dalindyebo told the crowd at yesterday's meeting that if Zuma did not withdraw his letter by 11 August, the AbaThembu people will take down the Mthatha based King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality. Dalindyebo said moves to oust him came a day after he made a land claim about a piece of land in Mthatha. The king asked his lawyer, Advocate Dali Mpofu, to fight for the AbaThembu kingdom to have its own budget like Zulu monarch Goodwill Zwelithini. Mpofu said they have already drafted a letter to respond to Zuma. 'We have written to Zuma that he must withdraw his letter by 11 August. He must apologise to the king and his nation. Otherwise we are prepared to take this matter to the highest court in the land,' Mpofu is quoted in the report as saying. Senior AbaThembu chief Mfundo Mtirara reportedly said the group that had written to Zuma demanding the removal of the king was illegitimate and held meetings which were not properly constituted, according to the report. Full City Press report