:"My favourite pastime was listening to the tribal meetings that were held at Mqhekezweni. The Regent was advised by a group of wise men - ''the amaphakathi'' - who had great knowledge of the history and customs of our people.<br>

:These meetings were my earliest lessons in democracy. Every person had a chance to speak in an open and honest way - even if it meant saying things against the Regent. The Regent would keep quiet, and only at the end of the meeting, would he talk. His task was to summarise the discussions and find points of agreement"<ref>Nelson Mandela, (1994) Long walk to freedom, 80th bithday abridged edition, Nolwazi, London p. 6</ref>