South Africa: 'Hard to Trust' Ramaphosa, Says Bakholokoe Kingdom

17 July 2026
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Celani Sikhakhane
  • Bakholokoe King Letsitsa III first asked for government recognition while Jacob Zuma was president.
  • The Bakholokoe Kingdom says politics may be blocking the king's recognition in the Free State.

The Bakholokoe Kingdom says it does not trust President Cyril Ramaphosa's promise of better pay and medical aid for traditional leaders.

King Letsitsa Moloi III is still waiting for the government to recognise him as king of the Bakholokoe people in the Free State.

His assistant, Zenzwezinhle Mdletshe, told Scrolla.Africa on Thursday that the kingdom has been waiting for years.

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Ramaphosa made the promise during a visit to King Dalimvula Matanzima at Qamata Great Palace in the Eastern Cape last month.

Mdletshe said the kingdom was not claiming Ramaphosa made the promise to win votes in the coming local government elections.

But he said it was hard to believe the president while King Letsitsa III was still waiting.

"It is hard to trust what the President is promising because politicians have their own way of doing things," he said.

"King Letsitsa III has been fighting for recognition and has met Cogta Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa, but nothing has brought a good result."

Mdletshe said politics was behind the delay.

He said King Letsitsa III first asked the government to recognise him while Jacob Zuma was president.

Ramaphosa later became president, but the kingdom says it is still waiting for an answer.

King Letsitsa III has also spoken against Lesotho's claim to land in the Free State. In 2023, he said Lesotho had never owned the land.

The Bakholokoe people are mainly based in the Free State. Some also live in Nquthu and Bergville in KwaZulu-Natal.

Read the original article on Scrolla.

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