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“Nkosi Thandisizwe Diko is an “impostor” who misrepresents the AmaBhaca nation and lies about being a king to amass wealth for himself through political connections. This is according to the AmaBhaca royal family, which has distanced itself from the 41-year-old.”
“Diko, who is the husband of Khusela Diko, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, made headlines recently after it emerged that his company, Royal Bhaca Projects,
scored a tender from the department of health in Gauteng for personal protective equipment (PPE) amounting to R125 million.”
“However, the Dikos have denied any wrongdoing, saying in a statement this week that getting involved in the bidding process in the first place was “an error of judgement”.”
“Diko is on record as saying that even though he delivered on the tender for PPE, he wasn’t paid a cent. He also claims to have withdrawn from the tender after being advised by his wife that there could be a perceived conflict of interest.”
“But this hasn’t prevented him from invoking the wrath of some of his own people and fellow traditional leaders in KwaBhaca, who’ve distanced themselves from him and his claims that he’s the king.”
“In this week’s statement, Diko refers to himself as King Madzikane II Diko of AmaBhaca, while referring to his spouse as Indlovukazi (Queen).

In a previous interaction with this newspaper, he insisted that he be addressed as “King of AmaBhaca”.”
“Fikile Makaula, chairperson of the Mngcisane kaMakaula Royal Family, which superintends 26 villages of AmaBhaca in Mount Frere – including Lubhacweni, where Diko is the chief –
said they were disappointed about how he had comported himself and tarnished the good name of their nation.”
“Makaula said Diko had brought the AmaBhaca into disrepute and that they were planning a meeting where the matter would be discussed, and appropriate action taken. He said that even the name of Diko’s company, Royal Bhaca Projects, was problematic,
as it suggested that this was an entity of the AmaBhaca royal family or its nation. Makaula added that the name had been given on purpose to create the impression that the company represented a sizeable population, although it only served Diko’s interests as sole director.”
“He never approached or consulted anyone in the AmaBhaca nation when he created that company which carries our name. He did so on his own, but the name’s a misrepresentation.
“We don’t have anything to do with all the shenanigans he’s involved in. We don’t even recognise him as king. We recognise only Makaula as the heir of the kingship of AmaBhaca.
Thandisizwe is tarnishing the name of the nation of AmaBhaca and has brought us into disrepute through his actions,” said Makaula.
“He said the matter of the kingdom of AmaBhaca remained unresolved, as there was no reigning king at present. Proof of Makaula’s legitimacy and superiority over Diko was the fact that the former headed 26 villages, while Diko had only two under him.”
“Where have you ever seen a king who rules two villages? That man isn’t a king – he’s an ordinary traditional leader, although he comes from the royal family of AmaBhaca. He’s only telling people he’s a king for his own personal ambitions and greed for money,” he said.
“Nkosi Zolile Makaula, the spokesperson for the Mngcisane kaMakaula Royal Family, also distanced AmaBhaca from Diko’s business.”
“We don’t want him to continue using our name as AmaBhaca in his dealings and connections. It’s very convenient for him to go around misrepresenting us. We’re vehemently against the claim that he’s our king. He’ll never be the king of this nation,” he said.
“Zolile said the ANC in the province was also to blame for Diko’s behaviour, because it was complicit in his spreading the idea that he was the king.”
“The ANC should respect our history, but they’re also misrepresenting us because they recognise Diko as king. He’s getting all the respect that we should be getting, just because of his political connections,” said Zolile.
“Lulama Ngcukayitobi, the ANC’s Eastern Cape provincial secretary, could not be reached for comment.

Zolile said Diko’s fraudulent claims were undermining the AmaBhaca as a whole.”
“The more the ANC supports an illegitimate king, the more it destroys our nation. Our real kingdom isn’t recognised because politically connected individuals like Diko have an unfair advantage. His connections to President Cyril Ramaphosa through his wife have been exploited,”
“He added that Diko had gone as far as naming himself after a former great monarch of AmaBhaca, the late King Madzikane kaZulu, to create the impression that he was the genuine heir.”
“His full name is Thandisizwe Samcela Christopher Diko. Who gave him the name Madzikane? That’s why I’m saying the man is an impostor,” said Zolile.
“In a founding affidavit to the Mount Frere Magistrate’s Court earlier this year, where Diko brought a civil case against his subjects at Ncunteni after they forcefully opened a road he had closed, he referred to himself as “traditional leader” or “ingonyama”.
“In the same court papers, he revealed that his late father (Mzawugugi) had been a headman during his lifetime. This raises questions about how Diko, as the son of a headman, could claim to be a king.”
“Mamkeli Ngam, spokesperson for cooperative governance and traditional affairs in the Eastern Cape, agreed that Diko wasn’t a recognised king in the Eastern Cape.”
“When contacted by City Press for comment, Diko insisted that he was the king of AmaBhaca and said he would not comment on the claims of those who sought to distort the history of the AmaBhaca.”
“The kingdom of AmaBhaca will respond on the issues around the kingdom. On the matter of the PPE, let’s wait for the SIU [Special Investigating Unit] investigation,” he said.
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