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Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma did not initiate moves to remove AbaThembu king Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo, the SA Communist Party (SACP) in the Eastern Cape said on Wednesday.
"The SACP has since learnt that the president did not initiate the dethroning of the Thembu king as many would like us to believe, but he was merely responding to a clarion call made by some within the AbaThembu Royal Council as guided by the legal framework governing traditional processes," said spokesperson Siyabonga Mdodi.
He said the SACP in the province noted the developments in the matter involving Dalindyebo, the council, and Zuma.
Zuma wrote a letter to Dalindyebo asking him to make representations about why his recognition certificate as king should not be withdrawn.
Mdodi said all leaders, with no exception, should be held accountable.
"Any leader, with no exception of the kings, should serve the people and protect them at any given time. That should be done with the understanding that there is no one who is above the law even those 'born as leaders'."
The royal family reportedly wanted to remove Dalindyebo following his criminal conviction.
In 2009, he was convicted and sentenced to 15 years in prison for culpable homicide, assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, arson, and kidnapping. He has since been out on bail.
Mdodi said the SACP had also noted with concern the insults Dalindyebo had hurled to Zuma.
"These rude and backward insults should not be viewed as undermining the persona of [the] president but that of the people of South Africa, as he is the product of a democratic electoral process.
"If President Zuma is insulted for executing his constitutional mandate, that requires the people of South Africa, including those of the Thembu nation, to rise in defence of our Constitution."
