Impassioned royal plea

ZIYANE: MANANA FAMILY WANTS ANCESTOR'S REMAINS FOR PROPER BURIAL

- Masoka Dube

The Manana royal family in Leslie, Mpumalanga, wants the remains of their great-grandfather Chief Ziyane, who was killed in battle with the British army in 1765, repatriated.

The Mananas are engaging several stakeholders in a bid to compel the British government to return the remains.

The family said Ziyane's head and other body parts were sent to England as a symbol of victory and the remains are kept at the British Museum in London.

Speaking to The Citizen yesterday, Sipho Manana, also known as iNgonyama Ziyane 11, said his predecessors wanted to bring back the remains, but they did not know how to do that as most of them were uneducated.

"I think it is about time our ancestor's remains come back home for a proper burial so that his soul can rest in peace. Last year, we wrote to the British high commissioner and the British Museum asking them to release the remains and repatriate them, but they did not respond."