Justice minister Michael Masutha has formally submitted an application for pardon of jailed AbaThembu king Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo. The application has been made to the presidency for President Cyril Ramaphosa to decide on. The presidency confirmed it had received the application. Dalindyebo is serving an effective 12-year prison term imposed by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in October 2015. The jail time was handed down for three counts of arson, three counts of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm, one count of defeating the ends of justice, and one count of kidnapping. The king set fire to dwellings that housed three complainants — who were his “subjects” and tenants — to secure their eviction when he believed they had breached tribal rules.
The king was also alleged to have publicly assaulted three young men so brutally that, had it not been for later medical intervention, they might very well have died. The justice ministry said on Thursday that the initial a...
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