South Africa's top appeal court has upheld the conviction of the king of Nelson Mandela's Thembu ethnic group, Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo saying he must serve a 12-year sentence for assault, arson, kidnapping and defeating the ends of justice.
King Buyelekhaya Dalindyebo was convicted for disciplining a group of his subjects by torching homes, administering corporal punishment and kidnapping the family of a man.The traditional monarch is required to report to prison within the next 48 hours.
The court dismissed his conviction for manslaughter.His legal team had argued that the burning of the three families' homes did not amount to arson because technically the properties could be regarded as his own possessions.
He began the appeal process in 2009, when he was convicted for 15 years by a high court in the Eastern Cape province. The king is no stranger to controversy, refusing to attend the funeral in 2013 of the former South African leader Nelson Mandela.
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