Senior traditional leader Thovhele Nthumeni Masia has strongly dismissed rumours that he has joined the Mayibuye party led by Nyiko Floyd Shivambu. The rumours surfaced following a recent courtesy visit by Shivambu and senior officials of the Mayibuye party to the Masia Royal Palace.
During the visit, photographs circulated widely on social media showing Shivambu and party members posing with Masia while holding the party’s T-shirts. The images sparked speculation, with some social media users labelling Masia a disgruntled member of the African National Congress (ANC), a party he has publicly supported for years.
However, Masia has firmly denied claims that he has defected to the newly formed political movement.
“Rumours of me joining Mayibuye are being spread by people with thinking deficiencies,” said Masia.
“These rumour mongers are politically ill-equipped and grossly ignorant. Some of them infiltrated the ruling party and were collaborators of the system when we were young, throwing stones at the apartheid system and its apparatus,” he added.
Masia said it was unfortunate that a courtesy visit by a political party to a royal household was being interpreted as a political defection.
“The mere fact that the Mayibuye president’s visit to the Masia Royal Kraal translates into me joining the party is laughable and borders on foolishness,” he said.
He stressed that traditional leaders should not isolate themselves from political organisations or visitors seeking engagement.
“Royal leaders, and myself in particular, must not close their gates to prevent political parties from paying homage. In short, all that is being suggested is false.”
Masia further indicated that it was common practice for political organisations to pay courtesy visits to traditional leaders across the country.
“It is not a sin when different political organisations pay courtesy visits to leaders like the King of the Zulus and others, but it suddenly becomes an issue when they visit me,” he said.
Masia also questioned why Shivambu himself had not publicly announced his alleged defection if indeed he had joined the party.
“Do you think Shivambu would have kept it to himself had I joined him?” he asked.
“Penny Penny, who officially joined him, is the talk of the town, so why is he not saying anything about me?”
Masia further clarified that Shivambu never approached him about joining the party.
“Shivambu did not even speak about me joining them, but simply introduced his party and what they are about,” he said.
The traditional leader remains one of the most well-known ANC-aligned figures in the Vhembe region and has often publicly associated himself with the ruling party on various community and political platforms.