KZN Inkosi Who Barred Women in Pants Refuses to Sit on His Chair After Voting Station Incident
- Inkosi Lungelo Dlamini declared he will never use his chair again after discovering someone sat on it during special voting at the Dlamini Tribal Court
- Dlamini said he gave the IEC the venue so his community could vote, but felt disrespected when an official used his traditional chair
- South Africans were divided over whether the Inkosi's customs should take precedence at a public voting station
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EDUMBE, KWAZULU-NATAL — A traditional leader in the Tholakele area of eDumbe has declared that he will refuse to use his ceremonial chair again and is demanding it be cleansed, following an incident at a voting station hosted at his tribal court.
Inkosi Lungelo Dlamini spoke to SABC News reporter Zanele Buthelezi in a video published on X on Tuesday, 3 November 2026. Buthelezi reported that Dlamini temporarily closed the Dlamini Tribal Court voting station on Monday after discovering a party agent occupying his chair. The station was expected to reopen on Wednesday, election day.
Briefly News previously reported that on the second day of special voting, Dlamini turned away women wearing trousers, instructing them to return dressed in skirts or dresses.
Inkosi demands cleansing and compensation
Speaking in isiZulu, Dlamini said no apology had been extended to him.
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"Here is this chair. I will never sit on this one again. So no matter what, I want them to cleanse it," he said.
He stressed that the chair carried the weight of the leaders who had occupied it before him.
"Then a commoner just comes and sits on my chair. I will never allow that," he added.
Dlamini explained that he had made the venue available to the Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) as a service to his community, but felt that trust had been violated.
"But in the end, I find a person working under the IEC sitting on my chair," he said.
He did not specify what form of compensation he is seeking or from whom.
The IEC's deputy chief electoral officer, Masego Sheburi, told reporters on Tuesday that he had "no facts to report" on the situation at the Dlamini Tribal Court, and confirmed that no voting stations or voting materials had been stolen.
See Inkosi Dlamini's remarks to SABC News reporter Zanele Buthelezi:
South Africans divided
The incident drew sharp and conflicting responses online.
@DrKgabo_ asked:
"Is this a traditional court or the Kingdom of Furniture?"
@MPhil_Sithole said:
"@IECSouthAfrica must change the voting station."
@Moniliawhla said:
"He's not above the law!"
In contrast, @BoignyZuluyogh defended the Inkosi:
"Voting day doesn't change rules of the area."
@almazsithole said:
"The IEC official crossed the line… I also don't want people to sit on my chair."
Parties clash over housing in LGE debate
In a related article, Briefly News reported on Cape Town’s pre-election debate, where parties clashed over housing, inequality and service delivery ahead of the 4 November local government elections. The DA pointed to more than R40 billion in infrastructure spending, while opposition candidates argued that many residents remain excluded from housing and economic opportunities.
The debate raised a central question about who Cape Town’s growth is serving, with candidates describing a city divided by wealth and geography. National Coloured Congress representative Fadiel Adams has also proposed auditing municipal land and taking action against alleged drug outlets in city-owned housing.
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Source: Briefly News
