The Mpumalanga provincial government has taken the first step towards implementing an order of the Mpumalanga High Court to settle the long standing dispute over the throne of the Yende clan in Mkhondo.
This follows a court directive to the government to convene a meeting of the warring Yende royal family to identify the rightful heir to the throne following all necessary customs and immediately crown him.
The latest move follows a 2020 decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein, which dethroned Themba Yende as the traditional leader of the clan, declaring his recognition unlawful.
Themba had been wrongly recognised by former Premier David “DD” Mabuza in 2012. This prompted Felani Yende, along with his royal siblings Ntombikayise and Sibongile, to challenge the recognition on the basis that Themba is not suitable for the position.
They claimed that he was born out of wedlock and only assumed the Yende surname (having previously used Hadebe, his mother’s surname) in 1997.
Tracing their origins to the Zulu tribe, Felani and his sisters argued that only their mother, MaMnisi, was married to their father, the late Inkosi Leornard Yende. As such, only Felani, the first-born son from that marriage could take over the throne of the clan.
The courts ruled that Themba’s recognition was flawed because all the other family members were not given an opportunity to make an input during his identification.
After Themba was dethroned, in 2024, the provincial government convened another family meeting to identify the rightful heir to the throne, but it was marred by disputes. The dispute started after the government delegation allegedly flouted the law by instructing royal family members to vote for their preferred traditional leader.
Felani argued this was unlawful, insisting a traditional leader is born, not elected, and that customs must dictate the succession. The family returned to court, demanding the government comply with the Mpumalanga Traditional Leadership and Governance Act.
On 13 May 2025, the court ruled in favour of Felani and his siblings, ordering Premier Mandla Ndlovu to convene a meeting within 30 days and follow proper procedures.
To implement the ruling, the government has since tasked the Mpumalanga provincial house of traditional and Khoi-San leaders to convene a meeting to identify the right heir. The meeting is billed for 13 June 2025 at Mkhondo local municipality in Piet Retief along the SA-Eswatini border.
This is according to a letter signed off by Kgoshi Larmeck Mokoena, the chairperson of the provincial house.
“The succession dispute of AmaYende Asogenyaneni ended in the court of law whereby the matter was referred back to be reconsidered by the Royal Family. The court has ruled that the Royal Family should meet and identify the rightful successor. The date was set for the above purposes as stipulated in the court order for the Royal Family to meet,” reads the letter that Kgoshi Mokoena sent to all the warring parties to attend the meeting.
