HIS Majesty King Mswati III commended Libutfo for their endurance during yesterday’s eight-kilometre march to Malahleni, where he commissioned the third hunting party of the ongoing Butimba Ceremony.
The king said he was impressed by Libutfo as they made light work of the march, maintaining the same tempo and form from start to finish. Warriors from Inyatsi, Inkhanyeti, and Umgadlela regiments kicked off the day by enjoying the spoils of the previous day’s hunt.
They shared the game meat for breakfast before assembling in the arena to wait for the day’s orders from the king. As customary during the ceremony, Libutfo performed kuhlehla before assuming umkhumbi formation, maintaining their high spirits in anticipation of yet another successful hunt.
Indvuna Qomentanyeni Magagula took orders from His Majesty for the day. Libutfo marched to Malahleni where they assembled and rested briefly before embarking on the day’s hunt. They did not take a break as has been in previous days, much to His Majesty’s delight. He praised Libutfo and wished the warriors a successful hunt.
The final orders of the day were relayed by Army Commander Mashikilisane ‘Hulumende’ Fakudze after performing the customary ritual of simulating the hunt at Malahleni.
During the ritual, the Army commander allowed two warriors to perform it, explaining that the day’s ritual symbolised that each warrior should return with at least two kills, as the game was abundant. He also reminded the hunting party that the Big Five was off-limits, as per the king’s earlier order.
Maintaining safety precautions, Fakudze instructed that those armed with guns should depart first and avoid opening fire behind them, as more warriors with spears would follow. Since the hunting party was commissioned earlier than previous days, warriors were advised not to waste bullets.
He further cautioned against taking the spoils of the hunt for themselves and reminded them to declare every killed animal to the king as tetfulo. Fakudze added that the king would reward the best hunter with the most kills at the end of the ceremony.
The last instruction issued was that juvenile Libutfo should not take part in the hunt but return to the royal residence for safety reasons.
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