Zulu King's wedding planner still waiting to be paid

Six weeks before King Goodwill Zwelithini and his sixth wife, Swazi-born Queen Zola Mafu, celebrate their first wedding anniversary, the couple's wedding planner is still waiting to be paid.

Pietermaritzburg businessman Sizwe Gwala of Xolisisizwe Trading and Projects went as far as to stage a sit-in at the offices of the Royal Household Trust last week in a bid to get his money from the Zulu king.

He has slapped the trust with a R1.5-million bill for organising the extravagant R4-million bash in Ulundi in July last year.

The wedding coincided with King Zwelithini's 60th birthday celebrations, for which he bought himself a R10000 cake to entertain more than 10000 guests, including President Jacob Zuma, IFP leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and Durban businessman Vivian Reddy.

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The cash-strapped household trust forked out R950, 000 for catering, R20, 000 for several rooms at the Ulundi Holiday Inn, R200, 000 for a 5000-seat marquee, R160000 for a sound system and R25, 000 for decor and flowers.

But after all that fanfare, Gwala and some of the subcontractors he hired to help with the wedding have been visiting the trust's offices every week since the royal household was allocated a R56.5-million budget this year.

"I've been sent from pillar to post. Initially, I was told there was a memorandum of understanding that was to come from the premier's office and then I was told there is a new board of directors. All I want is to be paid and get on with my life," said Gwala this week.

KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu, whose office is now responsible for the king's budget, has been drawn into the matter, but his efforts to have Gwala's bill paid have come to naught.

The Sunday Times has established that Gwala approached Mchunu in October last year to facilitate a meeting with the trust's acting chief financial officer, Bonginkosi Qunta, but Qunta never showed up.

On Thursday, Qunta attributed the failure to pay Gwala to "an assortment of budgetary allocation challenges" experienced by the trust. He could not elaborate on what the challenges were.

"There's a meeting on Wednesday to resolve this issue," said Qunta.

Kevin Liddell, MD of Big Beat Productions, which was subcontracted by Gwala for additional sound and flat-screen TVs at the wedding venue, said his company was still owed R450000 for its services.

"We're a very small business. You can imagine the cost involved in organising an event like that. We turned away other work for that and effectively lost out," he said.

The Zulu monarch spared no expense for his lavish two-day traditional wedding last year.

More than 60 cows and sheep were slaughtered for the event, billed as the wedding of the year.

mthethwab@sundaytimes.co.za, olifantn@sundaytimes.co.za