Faction 'hijacks' tribal council

EXPELLED: HEADMAN, AIDES STILL MAKE ALLEGEDLY FRAUDULENT DEALS AS CHIEF SEEKS GOVT HELP

- Masoka Dube

A leadership dispute has erupted between a KwaZulu-Natal traditional leader and his headman over the ownership of the Gewensa Traditional Council based in Ndwedwe.

The squabble started last year when chief Ndodi Mzungezi Ndimande expelled his senior headman and seven other officials.

This was after finding them guilty of crimes including embezzling council funds, illegal land sales and the illegal mining of gravel in the area.

"The area is rich with gravel and the headman and others were expelled because they were ignoring the chief and allegedly making business deals without his knowledge.

"After being fired, they continued to operate using the resources provided by the KwaZulu-Natal department of cooperative governance and traditional affairs.

"They refused to hand over all the resources, including the laptops," said Gewensa Traditional Council spokesperson Thembelani Ngubane.