Princess Itumeleng Moerane apologises after blocking Ramaphosa at royal palace

Princess Itumeleng Moerane apologised to President Cyril Ramaphosa after blocking him from entering the Bapo Ba Mogale royal palace during an ANC campaign visit in the North West.

Confrontation at the royal house

The incident took place at the royal house in Bapong, outside Brits, during the ANC’s final registration drive before the November 4 local government elections. Footage of the exchange circulated widely on social media.

The confrontation escalated as the president tried to move the argument indoors and to greet members of the royal homestead. Video shows voices rising and Moerane refusing to let him through.

“Don’t touch me! Do not touch me!”

“We didn’t come here to fight,”

“I respect you, so please also respect me,”

“I cannot accept that,”

“You don’t respect me then,”

Apology and resolution

After the president returned to his vehicle and later met traditional leaders and members of the royal house, Moerane issued an apology. “I sincerely apologise, Mr President, for what I have done,” she said.

President Ramaphosa said the dispute had been resolved and that the apology had been accepted. He also said the meeting covered illegal mining in the area and that the government was working on the issue with the province.

Moerane’s explanation and local disputes

Moerane told Newzroom Afrika her actions were driven by years of frustration over a leadership fight within the royal family. She said the community had been through commissions whose findings were never released and accused the government of blocking a resolution because of mineral resources under the community’s land.

The Bapo Ba Mogale sit on platinum and chrome ground and have drawn royalties from mining operations linked to Lonmin. A public protector investigation found that more than R600m meant for community development through the community’s trust account had gone missing or been mismanaged, and flagged a royal palace project whose cost rose from about R20m to more than R80m.

The current phase of the succession fight dates to 2016, when a provincial commission recommended that Andrew Mogale be recognised as kgosi. Rival family members challenged that finding, leading to years of litigation and further inquiries.

Responses from the family and government

Family spokesperson Vladimir Mogale rejected Moerane’s version, saying the leadership question had been settled through official processes and that the commissions had inaugurated the current kgosi.

“We don’t understand what the dispute is about,”

Deputy minister in the Presidency Nonceba Mhlauli told the royal family the government would take the matter up with the North West administration and report back to Ramaphosa.

President’s approach

Ramaphosa said presenting himself to traditional leaders before campaigning in an area was standard ANC practice.

“People must be able to sit down and talk about whatever differences they have,”

he said.