In an interview with The Chronicle, Joshua Nkomo’s son, Mr Sibangilizwe Nkomo denied the family offered MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa the late Vice President’s traditional sceptre (intonga).
Chamisa claimed the family had offered him Nkomo’s traditional sceptre (intonga) when he visited the liberation war leader’s Matsheumhlophe house. He also said the Nkomo family had told him that he was the first national leader to visit the Joshua Nkomo Museum. However, Nkomo’s son said he did not meet Chamisa nor did they offer him his late father’s sceptre. Said Sibalizwe:
There is nothing like that. Chamisa went to the Matsheumhlope house which is now a museum at the invitation of the chief executive officer of the Joshua Nkomo foundation, Mr Jabulani Hadebe. None of the family members knew about his visit. I live in the Pelandaba house and it is a lie that he met any of the family members unless he came here as a ghost. In actual fact, I have never met Chamisa in my life. It’s not a matter that you can joke about. It’s an abomination that he can talk cheaply about intonga ka baba. That’s no ordinary stick but it carries so much significance in terms of culture and tradition, it’s the property of our ancestors. It represents our family’s ancestry and it is unacceptable for him to joke around with such matters. In our African tradition, we do not offer intonga ka baba to anyone one who is not a member of the family. None of the care takers at the museum know where that stick is so we really do not know what he is talking about.
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