Secession: Sovereign State of Good Hope: Khoi-San king declares that the Cape has seceded from SA

In the wake of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini threatening to take his people and his land and secede from the rest of South Africa, it appears that another king already did it … yesterday.

Most of South Africa failed to notice the momentous occasion when King Khoebaha Calvin Cornelius III seceded “the Cape” from the rest of the country on Monday morning.

In a video of the king addressing the issue, he called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to accord the Khoi-San kingship the same respect given the Zulu king. “Humble pie tastes bad on dry toast,” the king told the president.

Below is the king’s official message about his new country, which is full of several tongue-in-cheek comments and jokes. (If you click on the source link at the bottom you’ll be able to view the video there). 

According to statements by the Khoi-San king and his supporters, the Sovereign State of Good Hope is now the formation of a new sovereign nation state “being the result of a legitimate and lawful process of secession by the traditional hereditary tribal leader of the Khoisan Nation, Gaob (which loosely translates to King in English) Khoebaha Calvin Cornelius III”.

The new state’s territory apparently covers most of the Western Cape and extends to the northern border of the Cape, ending at the Fish River on the eastern frontier.

Parliament in Cape Town was served with an eviction notice to vacate the property by Friday. The Sovereign State of Good Hope (SSGH) also symbolically took down the South African flag and hoisted their own flag in Cape Town at 11am on Monday.

“This is to officially inform you of the decision of the King and the KhoiSan people to secede from South Africa.

“You were given notice of our secession as well as our declaration based on the principle of self-determination and independence to establish the Sovereign State of Good Hope.

“This letter is to draw your attention to the fact that you have been duly notified of our secession and declaration of independence, and since you have not seen fit to reply, it is an established principle of international law that your non-response may well imply that you not only have been notified but that you have agreed to the terms of our terms of our secession.

“We write to remind you that our secession is based on the fundamentals of International Law and these include:

“1. The Principle Of Self-Determination and

“2. The recognised Principles of International Law that a State may qualify for International Recognition when it meets the criteria of a permanent population-defined territory and organised level of governance and the capacity to manage its foreign relations.

The king said the template of how the Baltic states were granted their independence from the former Soviet Union was instructive for how he had now declared his state’s independence.

“Our situation is really no different to this and modern practices clearly affirm this.

“This letter notifies you that we are now asserting the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of the Sovereign State of Good Hope.”

The notice went on to demand that all government officials would have to “leave our territory within five days” unless they obtained permission from the king’s officers.

They could be registered as “aliens” if they successfully provided documentation “for the circumstances under which they want to extend their stay in the Sovereign State of Good Hope”.

“This would be approved by our authorities on the basis that they are valid reasons in the law for them to remain for a longer period. Other citizens of the Republic of South Africa who remain in the Sovereign State of Good Hope must register within 48 hours that they are aliens. They must then regularise their alien status with our own immigration department to determine the circumstances under which their stay can be extended or the circumstances under which they should be leaving immediately.

“We write to inform you that our foreign relations with the Republic of South Africa are meant to be peaceful and constructive and that we will work with you and collaborate with you in all ways that will advance the policies, purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

“We expect that you will respect the Charter as well, and that you will respect the foundations of peace and common understanding and goodwill and fellowship between nation states and the explicit principles upon which the International system is found.”

The king signed the notice and stamped it as being from the “Royal House of the KhoiSan”.

Khoi-San groups in particularly the Western and Northern Cape have long complained that they are not given proper recognition.

On Africa Day this year, EFF leader Julius Malema threw his weight behind the idea that the Khoi-San are the “original South Africans”.

He said the Khoi and San people were the original inhabitants in South Africa and that no one else was from South Africa.

“We came from the north and the Khoi and the San people were in southern Africa. The Khoi and the San welcomed us here and we settled here,” Malema said.

The South African government is yet to officially respond to the Khoi-San.

However, it seems more than likely that the king and the Sovereign State of Good Hope are aware that they are unlikely to be recognised as a new country by Friday, and that Monday’s declaration was possibly more in aid of drawing attention to their overall cause.