In his weekly online letter, he also claimed that some amakhosi who intended voting for the other chairman candidate were put up in the plush Riverside hotel the night before the election while he himself spent his night at the Royal hotel.

He said the African National Congress had campaigned "long and hard" for his removal as the chairman of the house, a position he had held since 1994.

He claimed this vendetta was supported by President Jacob Zuma.

Buthelezi said it was absurd that reports suggested that his withdrawal from the race was linked to failure and lost credibility.

"Times may be changing, but talk of failure and lost credibility is clearly absurd. I took a principled and strategic decision not to stand for re-election as chairman of the KwaZulu-Natal House of Traditional Leaders.

"My decision, I believe, has effectively strengthened the institution of traditional leadership," said Buthelezi.

Sapa

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