Ikradon

[Aquinas]

Chief Mlungisi hangs on to office
...but forced to let mum run the country
March 3603


Nomvula Shabangu, Mlungisi's mother and the new power behind the throne

Chief Mlungisi has narrowly survived the political fall-out following the humiliating failure of the Ibutho Izimoto, but it has cost him dear. In return for the Iphalamende (OOC: Parliament) letting him continue in office, he has agreed to be less autocratic, govern more consensually and radically reshuffle his Indaba (OOC: Cabinet).

On the face of it, the main change is that Chief Mlungisi's own Shabangu tribe are having to share power with the other tribes. Before, all 13 positions on the Indaba were controlled by Shabangu members, whereas now the Shabangu have only 6, whilst the Nkosi, Dlamini, Kaleni, Hlanganani, Mhaule, Mabuza and Mathebula all take a post each. Political commentators are doubtful this signals a real sharing of power on the part of the Shabangu, however. As one member of the Iphalamande, speaking on condition of anonymity, told us:

Everyone knows the Shabangu remain in control. The real shift in power has taken place within the Shabangu faction. What has happened is that Shabangu elders have gotten together and decided Mlungisi needs to be reined in. That's why his mother, Nomvula Shabangu, has taken over as Internal Affairs Minister, and his aunt, Thabisa Shabangu, has become Finance Minister. These two women - especially Nomvula - are the powers in the land now. They're going to keep a very, very close eye on everything Mlungisi does. He won't be able to breath. Much as I despise him, I pity him right now.

Already, according to insiders, Nomvula Shabangu is assuming more and more power to herself. Even her fellow Indaba ministers and senior figures in the army are said to be terrified of her. She has also taken on a series of new titles, including "Great She-Elephant", "Queen of Queens" and "Mother of God". In a further demonstration of her authority, she has forced Slindile, one of Chief Mlungisi's wives, to flee the capital because she regards her as a "very bad influence on my son".

[Aquinas]

***TERRA EXCLUSIVE***

GAY WEDDING DRAMA ROCKS IBUTHO!!!
Prince Zonke "marries" soldier lover, flees death squad
February 3604


Prince Zonke (right) marrying his lover, Phila Mathebula (left)

"It's impossible!" everybody is saying. The whole of Terra is looking on stunned at what will surely go down as the wedding of the year. In flabbergasting defiance of his family and the customs of his society, Prince Zonke, son of Chief Mlungisi, has married his lover, the soldier Phila Mathebula, at an illicit wedding ceremony held in the city of Bokufika.


Exchanging rings


Posing with honoured guests

Speaking afterwards, the Prince said:

I am very, very happy to have married my life partner, Phila, who I love very much. We want to live with and be faithful to one another for the rest of our lives.

The marriage is not legally valid, since Ibutho law only recognises marriage between men and women, but this has done nothing to stem the immense political fall-out.


Nomvula Shabangu, Minister of Internal Affairs & Chief Mlungisi's mother

Upon hearing the news, Chief Mlungisi's mother, Nomvula Shabangu, the powerful Minister of Internal Affairs who seems to be practically running the country by herself at the moment, dispatched a death squad to eliminate her grandson and his partner. Luckily for the couple, they were able to cross over the border into Rutania, where they are now applying for political asylum.

According to palace sources, Chief Mlungisi had a blazing row with his mother over the assassination order. Nomvula has long despised Zonke because she hates, Slindile, his mother. Mlungisi, on the other hand, despite his proven capacity for brutality, is compassionate to his own children. He was apparently aware of Zonke's relationship with Phila, but turned a blind eye to it, expecting that in a few years time Zonke would settle down, take on some wives and start having children. He perceived the wedding as a calculated snub to these plans, and was extremely angry about it, but most definitely did not want his son murdered. According to one of our sources, he "wanted to talk to Zonke man to man and make him see this is not the proper way to lead life". However, with the levers of power now effectively in the hands of his mother, he was powerless to over-rule her.

Zonke is thought to have become increasingly estranged from his family since Nomuva banished him from the capital, Isizinda, along with his mother, brothers and sisters. He went to live in Bokufika, a city permeated by foreign influences, and whilst there, after realising how same-gender relationships are accepted in other cultures, he eventually set his heart on marrying his boyfriend. And in the process, shocked his highly traditional country so much it may never quite recover.


Phila showing off the sacrificial gay bull

Despite being such an innovation by Ibutho standards, the ceremony itself was highly traditional, following most of the conventions employed at regular Ibutho weddings. A few alterations were made, however. For example, on the insistence of the sangoma who conducted the wedding, a homosexual bull was sacrificed in order to ensure the happiness of the union.


Zonke & Phila in Vanderburg, Rutania, waiting for news on their asylum application

The couple are now residing in the City of Vanderburg in Rutania, where they are waiting for the Rutanian government to make a decision on whether to grant them political asylum. Nomvula, meanwhile, has asked the Rutanian government to extradite them back to Ibutho so they can "face the rigours of Ibutho justice".

[Aquinas]

Hand over my grandson, demands Nomvula
March 3604


Nomvula Shabangu, Minister of Internal Affairs & Chief Mlungisi's mother

Nomvula Shabangu has been apoplectic with rage since her grandson, Prince Zonke, took part in a wedding ceremony with his male lover and then escaped her grasp by slipping across the border to Rutania. In a tersely-written letter to Rutania's Foreign Minister, she has demanded he fulfil Ibutho's request for him to be extradited:

Dear Mr. Ivar Peters,

I, Nomvula Shabangu, the Great She-Elephant, Queen of Queens, Mother of God and Minister of Internal Affairs of the Ibutho Nation, demand that you put my grandson Prince Zonke and his associate Phila Mathebula in a steel cage and bring them to me at once. They are disgusting criminals who have scandalised the good people of Ibutho and have besmirched the honourable name and reputation of their respective families and tribes, and also of their nation. These vile perversions may be normal in your decadent country but they are not - thank Unkulunkulu! - accepted in mine. They must face justice and be held to account for their actions.

Simmering with rage, Nomvula apparently summoned her top military commanders and ordered them to draw up plans for "the execution of all the gays in Ibutho". However, moderates on the Indaba, led by Chief Mlungisi, her son and the nominal head of the government, managed to stay her hand, arguing that such a measure would damage Ibutho's tourist trade and harm the country's international reputation.


Victims of Nomvula's slaughter

Nevertheless, Nomvula pressed on with her schemes for retribution, demanding instead the execution of every homosexual bull in Ibutho. She believed, according to our informants, that older gay men are using homosexual bulls in magical rituals in order to brainwash young Ibutho soldiers into having sex with them. Xolani Mhaule, the Minister for Food & Agriculture, tried to dissuade her from this course, arguing "there are no homosexual bulls in Ibutho" and that her proposal would upset farmers. But by this point, Nomvula was too angry to be resisted, and the order was given out. Many of the inspectors charged with carrying out her instructions are believed to have been confused as to how to to complete their task.


Zonke and Philo posing for the media and on their way to becoming international celebrities

Meanwhile, since their arrival in Rutania, Zonke and Philo have become a cause celebre media sensation, posing for glamorous photos and giving interviews to magazines and newspapers. They say they "do not know how to express our thankfulness to the Rutanian people for their overwhelming generosity and tolerance" and "only wish the Rutanian love of freedom was shared in Ibutho".


Queues of Ibutho at the Rutania border

Worryingly for Rutania, upon hearing of their decision to grant asylum to Zonke and Philo, thousands of Ibutho have begun queuing up at the Rutanian entry points along the Rutania-Ibutho border, claiming they are fleeing homophobic persecution. Rutanian authorities suspect most of them just want to take advantage of Rutania's much more developed economy and welfare state.

[Aquinas]

Chief Mlungisi crowned Shah of Aldegar

[Aquinas]

Ibutho welcome Prince Georg to his palace
February 3605


Prince Georg's newly-built palace in northern Emabhishi


Prince George of Dundorf has just moved in to his recently-constructed palace in northern Emabhishi along the Dundorf-Ibutho border. Yesterday morning, his servants answered a knock on the door to receive a surprise.


Prince Georg's self-invited Ibutho guests

No sooner had the door been opened than nearly a 100 Ibutho from the local Hlanganani tribe burst in without invitation and proceeded to dance up and down the corridors and staircases in what was intended to be a welcoming ritual. The Prince and his family were apparently rather shocked at first, but soon realised what was going on and took it in good part.


Busisiwe the sangoma

Busisiwe, the local sangoma, then went on a tour of the palace, performing incense-burning rituals in each room in order to "deal with any ancestral spirits that might cause you problems here". Prince Georg thanked her for her services and paid her a fee of 100 Beads. He also gave her permission to sacrifice a goat in his back garden in order to "ensure the continued happiness and prosperity of you and your family".

[Aquinas]

Aldegarian Ambassador sacrificed to fire gods
August 3605


His Excellency Dr. Roshan Attar, Aldegarian Ambassador to Ibutho

When Nomvula Shabangu heard that Aldegar had executed 20 Ibutho live on television, insulted her son and her nation and accused her of being a witch she hastily summoned Aldegar's ambassador, Dr. Roshan Attar, for a dressing down. We do not yet have a detailed account of what happened in the meeting, but it did not end well. By nightfall he was blazing away in Isizinda's main public square as an offering to the fire gods.

Challenged by journalists as to whether the human sacrifice was "uncivilised and not in keeping with the image Ibutho needs to project", Nomvula responded that Ibutho was the more innocent party in the affair. "They executed 20 of ours, but we only executed 1 of theirs," she said.


Chief Mlungisi painted as a god of fire

Meanwhile her son, Chief Mlungisi, who is becoming increasingly fascinated with Aldegar's Yazdean religion, has declared himself to be "a god of fire". Paintings depicting him in this role are now being distributed all over Ibutho. He is also believed to be becoming obsessed with something called "the global Canrillaise conspiracy". One of his aides told us:

He notices that the Aldegarians and others are terrified of this thing called the Canrillaise conspiracy. Because of that, he wants to research more into it, find out more about it and see if he can join it. After all, it could be useful for him to have them on our side.

I want to be Ibutho's first gay Chief, says Prince Zonke


Zonke & Philo posing for the front-cover of August's Gay Rutania magazine

Prince Zonke, who along with his new husband, Philo, is fast becoming one of Artania's most celebrated gay icons, has told Gay Rutania magazine that "being gay is as Ibutho as being black", that "with more tolerance and education, gays and lesbians will be accepted here" and, most controversially, that "I would be very, very proud to return to Ibutho and serve as her first openly gay Chief". The latter comment provoked waves of protest across Ibutho's political class. As the son of Chief Mlungisi, he is in theory eligible to succeed him. Only a few years ago, Zonke was greatly favoured by his father and was being talked about as a possible successor, but with all of the fall-out over his wedding and then exile, that seems unlikely now.

Nomvula, Chief Mlungisi's mother, issued a stern rebuke to her grandson:

How dare you bring so much disgrace to your father, to me, to your tribe and to your country? Shame on you, you wicked little pervert! How can you even think of coming back to Ibutho, let alone becoming Chief, after all that you have done? Ibutho is not a cesspool of sexual iniquity like the rest of Artania.

On hearing Nomvula's comments, Zonke said "these issues are difficult for granny to deal with and I want to ask people to try not to judge her too harshly". He also added that he found Dundorf's Reichskanzler, Alexander Wesselmann, who is openly gay and married to his life partner, "a person of great inspiration to me".

[Aquinas]

"Retirement in Ibutho" Conference

[Aquinas]

Royal Herald
Nomvula "struck by lightning"
August 3606



Last night, the Great She-Elephant, Queen of Queens and Mother of God, Nomvula Shabangu, who is mother to our beloved Chief Mlungisi, was struck by lightning. When a person is struck by lightning, it means they were a bad person who the gods wanted to do away with. We will therefore not risk further annoying the gods by talking about Nomvula and her death any more than is necessary. In deference to Ibutho traditions, we must all act as though she had never lived and as though all of her deeds were never performed.

Certain scurrilous persons are pretending this lightning strike never happened. Let them be assured that it did, and as evidence we present a photograph of one of Chief Mlungisi's cows, Hawu, who was injured when the lightning struck.


Hawu, the cow who lived

We can draw the obvious conclusion from the fact that the gods spared Chief Mlungisi's cow but took her mother. She was a traitor, so the gods took her away, just as they will carry away all who defy the will of Chief Mlungisi.



Ibutho Voice
Mlungisi murders mother

The government in Isizinda do not want you to know the truth, and they are trying to impose a media black-out across the country. But you know the good ol' Ibutho Voice. "Publish and be damned," as the saying goes.

Here is what really happened: last night Chief Mlungisi and his mother, Nomvula, had a massive row over her decision to cut his personal allowance and hand over one of his palaces in Bokufika to his sister, Hluphekile. Nomvula refused to relent, so in a fit of pique, her son struck her across the head with an ashtray.


A replica of the ashtray

Upon being told by an attendant that his mother was dead as a result of the blow, Mlungisi replied: "No, she is not dead, she was struck by lightning". The country's key tribal elders, after learning this news, decided to go along with the ruse, realising that Chief Mlungisi had the support of the impis (OOC: warriors/army) and was firmly back in control of the country.

We do not know the precise story behind the cow in the photograph being circulated by Mlungisi's cronies, but according to the latest gossip, a Dorvish film studio is interested in making a movie about the animal featuring witches, wizards and a magical boarding school.

[Aquinas]

Ibutho readmitted to Artanian Union
September 3606


Ibutho translators Cebile Mhaule (left) and Welile Dlamini (right) chilling out after facilitating hours of tense negotations

Following 12 hours of hard-fought negotiations with Stefan Foth and other Artanian Union (AU) officials at the AU Headquarters in Dorvik, Ibutho has been officially readmitted to the AU.


Dumisani Shabangu, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Speaking at the conclusion of the session, Foreign Minister Dumisani Shabangu said:

Today is a great day for Ibutho and a great day for Artania. Ibutho is and always has been an integral part of Artania's culture, history and spirit. There can be no Artania without Ibutho and no Ibutho without Artania; we all know that. On behalf of the people of Ibutho and on behalf of Chief Mlungisi and his government, I thank the Artanians warmly for the reasonableness and flexibility they have shown during these negotiations. All of us in Ibutho look forward very much to working with our Artanian brothers and sisters in the future.

Animal rights groups in Dorvik expressed concern about Dumisani Shabangu's decision to wear leopardskin during his visit.


Chief Mlungisi establishes the Izinhloli


Chief Mlungisi's Izinhloli, already being dubbed "the Terror of Terra"

In a sign of his determination to suppress his enemies both at home and abroad, Chief Mlungisi has signalled his intention to create the Izinhloli, an organisation of elite Ibutho spies. Government spin doctors are already billing the Izinhlolo as "the Terror of Terra", "the most fearsomely efficient spy agency on the face of the planet" and "more sophisticated even than the guys behind the Canrillaise Conspiracy".

[Aquinas]

Chief Mlungisi launches Ibutho Airways
February 3607


Ibutho Airways Flight 001 to Zardugal

"Many people around Terra are saying Ibutho is a backward country that will never achieve anything of significance," Chief Mlungisi hissed at yesterday's press conference. "But today, we are going to prove the naysayers wrong. Ibutho, contrary to what our critics are saying, is advancing into the technological revolution at the speed of a galloping hyena. That is why, on behalf of the nation, I am delighted to announce to you the formation of Ibutho Airways, which will soon be taking hundreds and thousands of passengers in and out of Ibutho every day."

The press pack was amazed by this news, and demanded to be shown the planes before they would believe it. "Okay, but you'll have to go to see it right now," Chief Mlungisi replied, "otherwise the plane will be taking off on its first journey". We duly travelled the hour's journey to a location on the outskirts of eastern Isizinda, where we were met with a huge blue and white vehicle, heavily-laden with luggage and passengers and destined for Belgae, Zardugal.

One amongst our number, a young journalist from Dorvik, pleaded with the pilot not to attempt to take off, insisting it was "far too dangerous - you'll get yourselves killed!" The pilot ignored this warning, but fortunately for the crew, the plane had an engine fault and was incapable of taking off. It did, however, roll along the runway a little, causing two passengers at the top of the plane to fall off, along with some luggage. One of the passengers suffered a broken arm, but despite being in much pain, pronounced himself fit to continue with his journey if the plane could be started up again.

Despite protests from several Artanian journalists, the pilot attempted to take off a second time. At first the plane seemed to be moving well, and the crew and passengers erupted into spontaneous cheers and began heartily singing the Ibutho national anthem. However, as the plane picked up speed, it suddenly jolted to one side, causing the left wing to smash against the tarmac. The pilot stopped the plane and got out of his cockpit to inspect the wing, announcing that it was "a little wobbly now" but "should be fine for the journey". He proceeded to attempt take-off for a third time, but the engine caught fire, making it necessary to evacuate all of the passengers.

Finally, the pilot made an announcement that "weather conditions make flight impossible today", promising to "have another go tomorrow". To the surprise of foreign journalists, the Ibutho passengers seem remarkably patient and placid about this situation, and have not uttered a word of complaint.