The rumours were triggered by a series of protests against the evictions on 14 October of residents of two chieftaincies who refused to be ruled by the King's brother, Prince Maguga Dlamini.
This scheme resulted in a proliferation of chieftaincies. Initially, Sekhukhuneland counted nine chieftaincies, but by the mid 1970s more than 50 chiefs had been officially recognized.(5) The paramountcy had been abolished.