The dispute over who will be the eventual monarch of the Venda nation remains unresolved, and President Thabo Mbeki is therefore likely to propose the name of one of four candidates, after considering all the relevant evidence.

The president recently appointed a special commission to gather information in this regard. The body held two rounds of hearings in the Venda area during the past two weeks. According to the commission's administrator, Mpho Mokake, the four candidates - Kennedy Tshivhase, Mphephu Ramabulana, AG Rabura and Phaswana Mphphudi - all have legitimate claims to the Venda monarchy, a position which has, in effect, been vacant for two centuries.

He declined to comment on the possibility of a referendum to resolve the leadership dispute. He said Mphephu was temporarily recognised by the apartheid government towards the end of its oppressive rule, but somehow this recognition lacked legitimacy among the Venda people.

Archive material shows that the Venda community, originally from Central Africa, settled in the far north of the country at the beginning of the 18th century. The Venda kingdom, however, started to fragment after the death of Paramount Chief Thohoyandou in 1720, and was soon reduced to more than 20 unconnected tribal groups.