THE REAL ISSUE - LUNKUNTFU STORY

Right to reply

 Sir,

Thank you for allowing me the right to reply on an article published in your Monday publication titled: ‘Youth summoned over anti-Timothy chants’. For the record, I wrote in my capacity as a concerned and reported ‘preferred candidate’ for many voters in the area (Lunkuntfu).

Believing in and understanding the mandate of your publication, that of addressing and informing the nation (and entire world) about issues of public interest; the said story, if not corrected, has the potential of compromising the integrity of reporting and creating an unnecessary spotlight on our royal kraal. In lieu of the above, I would like to correct the story as follows:

1. It is not true that the supporters of the losing candidate in the Secondary Elections (being myself) are in anyway in trouble with traditional authorities of the area. The correct statement is the said ‘aspiring politician’ who lost in the Primary Elections is the same headman (James Gulwako) who was interviewed by the reporter of this article, hence this is an issue between the whole community, who are keen on the development of the community against the headman with a few individuals (even young boys) he had chosen to ‘prosecute’ parents of the concerned community members.

2. It is incorrect again that the said disgruntled supporters chanted anti-MP-elect slogans or that there was any hurling of disparaging words towards him. It was mentioned by the same disgruntled headman that some of the members of the youth in the community also picketed after the 2013 elections after their preferred candidate lost in the Secondary Elections. The correct version is that some community members celebrated the win of the former MP, Hans Steffen who won the contest where the headman was also a candidate and was beaten. The community members were reprimanded for celebrating that win by the same headman. The headman is now abusing his authority and the name of the royal kraal, creating an unnecessary confusion in the community.

3. The story also confirms that the aspiring politician’s children who lost in the Primary Elections were bitter that an opposing faction had hurled insults at them. It is of public interest to note that the headman had, in the meeting on Saturday, brought it to the attention of the gathering that the said children were even preparing weapons to attack their opponents.

There was no mention of any insult from any member of the community or to anyone within. Unmasked; the said aspiring politician is the same headman in the area and, therefore, his (headman) children are the ones who were on the verge of an attack on community members and I.  

4. It is also not true that traditional authorities had taken exception of the behaviour of any disgruntled group. The concern is only on two families sympathising with the headman in his loss of the Primary Elections and he is now leading a small group perpetuating a volatile situation within this otherwise peaceful community.

5. In my view, the story is tantamount to causing unrest in that the Member of Parliament (elect) is being fed false information about members of the community; the same headman is even implicating the royal kraal as having any role in this impasse, which is entirely not true.

6. The reporter further reported that the aspiring politician, who is the MP-elect’s supporter, could not be reached for comment yet; the same reporter is quoting the same headman, who is clearly known to him (reporter) that he could not be reached for comment.

Bheki Khumalo

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