King of Mandela’s clan begins 12-year jail term for arson and kidnapping

The king of Nelson Mandela’s clan in South Africa has started a 12-year jail sentence for arson, kidnapping and assault. Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, leader of the the AbaThembu clan, turned himself over to the Mthatha Correctional Center in the Eastern Cape Province late on Wednesday. The 51-year-old, a nephew of the anti-apartheid icon, was convicted in 2009 but has been fighting the verdict in the courts for years. His last-minute appeal to have his bail extended was rejected by a court hours before he went to the prison.

We are a constitutional democracy in which everyone is accountable and where the most vulnerable are entitled to protection.

Supreme Court judgment in October

King Dalindyebo, who ascended to the throne in 1989 and has about 700,000 subjects, is the first monarch to be jailed in South Africa since minority rule ended in 1994. He was accused of kidnapping a woman and her six children, setting their home on fire and beating up four youths, one of whom died, after one of their relatives failed to attend the king’s traditional court. The king maintained his innocence, saying he disciplined his subjects under clan law.

No indication was given for when we can expect the reasons for the dismissal of the application and we will continue with the case

The king’s lawyer, Yasmin Omar, vows to fight on

Africa Dalindyebo