In 2008, the Nhlapo Commission ruled that the amaRharhabe were not a kingdom.
The amaRharhabe took the Nhlapo commission to court over the decision and that ruling was set aside in 2016.
On Wednesday, the kingdom described the recognition as a befitting tribute to the tapestry of the amaRharhabe ancestry.
Thirteen years after the Nhlapo Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims ruled that the amaRharhabe were not a kingdom, President Cyril Ramaphosa has recognised the amaRharhabe royalty.
In an official letter dated 25 May, Ramaphosa instructed Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to legalise the ruling.
Dlamini-Zuma communicated the decision in a letter addressed to the chairperson of amaRharhabe Royal Council, Inkosi Siseko Maqoma.