- Julius Malema told traditional leaders at Queen Manyaku Thulare's birthday that mineral wealth should create jobs and economic development for their communities.
- King Misuzulu kaZwelithini joined Queen Manyaku's 74th birthday celebration, while the African National Congress honoured the Bapedi Queen with five cattle.
Queen Manyaku Thulare's 74th birthday was more than a celebration of her life. It became a call for traditional leaders to fight for the wealth beneath their land.
The Bapedi Queen celebrated her birthday at Shepstone Gardens in Johannesburg on Sunday afternoon.
The celebration brought together traditional leaders, politicians, church leaders and business people.
Follow us on WhatsApp | LinkedIn for the latest headlines
Among the guests was Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema, who used the occasion to tell kings and queens that mineral wealth should benefit the people living on their land.
Malema said communities should see jobs and economic development from their natural resources.
He pointed to Sekhukhune, where the Bapedi land is rich in chrome, and argued that mining should have brought greater development to the area.
Malema said government involvement could help turn mineral rich areas into stronger economic centres.
He compared Sekhukhune with Johannesburg, Rustenburg and Kimberley, saying their development was closely linked to valuable minerals.
"Imagine with state intervention how much that place (Sekhukhune) could be developed? The City of Johannesburg, there's nothing special about it, actually it is a desert with too much water underneath but it was made because of gold," Malema said.
He said minerals and natural resources, rather than votes, were important to the development of cities.
"You discover gold in Johannesburg it must be a city, you discover platinum in Rustenburg it must be a city, you discover chrome in Sekhukhune it must be a city, you discover diamond in Kimberley it must be a city."
Malema said Cape Town did not have the same mineral wealth but had natural resources that helped it develop.
He ended his message with a warning about poverty before wishing Queen Manyaku a happy birthday.
The celebration also honoured the Queen's place in Bapedi history.
Queen Manyaku was described as a symbol of unity and as carrying the legacy of past Bapedi kings, including Sekhukhune I and Mampuru, who fought colonialism and refused to surrender their dignity.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The milestone celebration also brought together two royal houses with a long friendship.
Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini attended with his fourth wife, Queen Sihle kaMdluli of the eMashobeni Royal Palace.
Queen kaMdluli was praised for supporting King Misuzulu through family and personal challenges.
The Bapedi and Zulu monarchies have shared a friendship for many years.
After King Misuzulu took the throne, he renewed the relationship with Queen Manyaku.
Queen Manyaku has since attended several Zulu royal ceremonies, including the Reed Dance.
She took over the Bapedi throne following the death of her son, King Victor Thulare, in 2021.
The African National Congress also honoured the Queen during her birthday celebrations.
Party Secretary General Fikile Mbalula announced that the party was giving Queen Manyaku five cattle.
He said the cattle would be delivered to her royal palace.
For Queen Manyaku, the Johannesburg gathering celebrated 74 years of life, but the occasion also carried a message about the future of traditional communities and the wealth found on their land.
