THE WOMAN WHO DISRESPECTED THE PRESIDENT HAS APOLOGISED
- Mpho Dube
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Princess Itumeleng Moerane blocked Ramaphosa at Bapo Ba Mogale palace...later: "I sincerely apologise, Mr President"
By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief
The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.
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BAPONG — The woman who disrespected the President has apologised for her actions.
Princess Itumeleng Moerane of the Bapo Ba Mogale royal family blocked President Cyril Ramaphosa from entering the royal palace on Saturday.
She stood at the gate during an ANC voter registration campaign and shouted: "Don't touch me! Do not touch me!"
The video went viral.
Withing minutes later, the same Princess stood before the same President and said: "I sincerely apologise, Mr President, for what I have done."
President Ramaphosa accepted the apology. But the damage, and the questions behind it, remain.
It was meant to be a routine campaign stop. Ahead of the 4 November local government elections, the ANC was doing its final registration drive.
As is custom, the President went to pay respects to the traditional leadership of Bapo Ba Mogale in Bapong, outside Brits.
What happened next shocked the country.Ramaphosa tried to de-escalate.
"We didn't come here to fight," he said.
"I respect you, so please also respect me. I have come to greet everyone at the homestead regardless of the family's internal fight."
Moerane refused. "I cannot accept that."
"You don't respect me then," the President replied, and walked back to his vehicle.
The President then met with other members of the royal house and traditional leaders. Later, Moerane was brought in.
"I sincerely apologise, Mr President, for what I have done," she said.
"The dispute has been resolved and an apology accepted," Ramaphosa said afterwards. "People must be able to sit down and talk about whatever differences they have."
In an interview with the media, Princess Moerane explained herself. She said this was not about the President personally.
It was about years of frustration. About a community sitting on billions but living in poverty. About a leadership fight that has dragged on for a decade with no end.
The Bapo Ba Mogale sit on some of the richest platinum and chrome deposits in South Africa. For years they received substantial royalties from mining operations linked to Lonmin.
But the people of Bapong are asking: Where is the money?A Public Protector investigation found that more than R600 million meant for community development through the community trust had gone missing or been mismanaged.
A royal palace project was budgeted at R20 million. It climbed to over R80 million. While that was happening, clinics, roads and schools in the area were neglected.
In 2014, the traditional administration signed a deal swapping future Lonmin royalties for equity. Activists and community members have criticised the deal for years, saying it enriched a handful of people while the community got left behind.
The leadership dispute itself dates back to 2016. A provincial commission recommended that Andrew Mogale be recognised as kgosi. Rival family members challenged it. That triggered years of litigation, more commissions, and no closure.
Moerane accused government of deliberately blocking a resolution.
"They want to install their own puppet whom they can control" over the chrome and platinum, she alleged.
Family spokesperson Vladimir Mogale rejected her version.
"We don't understand what the dispute is about," he said. "The leadership question has been settled through official processes. The commissions she referred to inaugurated the current kgosi."
After the apology, the President did not just leave. He got to work.
He said the meeting also discussed illegal mining in the area — a problem the community has raised repeatedly.
Government, he said, is working with the North West administration to tackle it.
"Presenting ourselves to traditional leaders before campaigning is standard ANC practice," Ramaphosa said. "Respect works both ways. When there are differences, we must sit down."
Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Nonceba Mhlauli, told the royal family that government will take the matter up with the North West provincial government and report back to the President.
Let us be clear: Blocking the President of the Republic at the gate is unacceptable. The Presidency must be respected. Full stop.
But we must also be honest about why it happened.
This is not just about one Princess and one gate. This is about a community that feels abandoned. About R600 million that disappeared. About a R80 million palace while people lack basics. About a succession battle that has created factions and bitterness.
You cannot expect peace at the gate when there is war inside the house.
The ANC is 3 months away from local government elections. It cannot afford to ignore traditional structures. But traditional structures also cannot afford to ignore their people.
The apology from Princess Moerane closes Saturday's incident.
What happens next in Bapo Ba Mogale will determine whether this was just a moment, or a turning point. Will the R600 million be accounted for? Will the leadership dispute be finalised? Will the royalties reach the people?
President Ramaphosa left Bapong with dialogue on the table. The people of Bapo Ba Mogale are waiting to see if delivery follows.Because respect is earned. And it starts with service.
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