by MTHULISI SIBANDA
EAST LONDON, (CAJ News) – THE so-called coronation in South Africa of an exiled individual as a king of Nigeria’s major ethnic group is an ill-timed move that has aggravated xenophobic tensions in South Africa.
Recently, Solomon Ogbonna Eziko was coronated as “Igwe Ndigbo na East London” in the Eastern Cape and has stirred controversy, with local authorities and traditional leaders condemning the event as an unlawful and unauthorised move that undermines South African sovereignty and traditional leadership structures.
This has agitated South African groups advocating for mass deportation of foreign nationals, blaming them for waning economic opportunities and rising crime in the continent’s largest economy.
Activists have taken to the Eastern Cape streets in protest of the so-called coronation of Eziko in the Rharhabe Kingdom.
Activists came from across the country. Among them was Ngizwe Mchunu, a pro-Zulu activist synonymous with controversy and among the suspected agitators of the deadly violence that followed the arrest of former president Jacob Zuma in 2021.
Zolile Williams, the provincial Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), expressed “shock” at what he viewed as an illegal installation defying South African law.
“Any nefarious attempt to defy and undermine the sovereignty of our country will be met with the full might of the rule of law,” Williams said.
“The act by the Nigerians is an attempt to destabilise and threaten the sovereignty of our country and land ownership,” he added.
The kuGompo jurisdiction falls under the authority of the amaRharhabe Kingdom led by King Sandile.
Nkosi Mpumalanga Gwadiso expressed “profound indignation and unequivocal condemnation.”
“The House is particularly concerned that this reckless conduct carries the potential to inflame tensions and jeopardise social cohesion,” he said.
– CAJ News