AbaThembu royal household representatives met in the Eastern Cape on Monday to discuss the incarceration of their king, Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo.

Royal family spokesperson Daludumo Mtirara said the meeting had started with formalities and would move on to dealing with the issue of the king being sent to jail.

The matter of who would carry out the king’s functions would also be discussed. Dalindyebo had already been customarily dethroned with the removal of his spear.

But President Jacob Zuma still had to consider whether to withdraw the certificate that declared him a king, in terms of laws governing traditional authorities.

The king being sent to jail caused other complications. Various branches of the family had argued over who had the right to call a family meeting.

After unsuccessfully trying several legal avenues to avoid jail, Dalindyebo arrived at Wellington Prison in Mthatha shortly before midnight on Wednesday to start serving his 12-year sentence.

In 2009, Dalindyebo was sentenced to 15 years in prison for culpable homicide, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, arson, and kidnapping.

He was granted bail pending the outcome of his appeal to the Supreme Court of Appeal.

In October last year, the SCA set aside his culpable homicide conviction and reduced his sentence to 12 years.

His crimes involved the treatment he meted out to some of his subjects in 1995 and 1996. News24