Jet-setting Zulu king blows R3m on private flights

Taxpayers forked out nearly R3-million on private flights for Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini to attend social and official engagements in the past two years, including a R350, 000 flight to Swaziland to attend a function hosted by King Mswati.

The Sunday Times can reveal that the king used a private charter 13 times between June 29 2013 and August 29 last year.

Details of the king's flights in the 2013-14 and 2014-15 financial years show that he:

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• Flew from Ulundi, northern KwaZulu-Natal, to Durban on May 9 2014 to meet Hermann Erdmann, CEO of the Recycling and Economic Development Institute of South Africa, and then to Cape Town to have dinner with Erdmann less than a month later. The flights cost R517, 000;
• Took private charters from Ulundi to Swaziland four times between March 20 and August 29 2014 for different functions, costing a total of R1.12-million;
• Spent R212, 800 to fly to Johannesburg for President Jacob Zuma's inauguration last year and spent R238843 to attend the inauguration of KwaZulu-Natal premier Senzo Mchunu;
• Ran up a bill of R348, 010 to go to Swaziland for a function staged by King Mswati; and
• Paid nearly R28, 000 to fly from Ulundi to Sangoyana in Empangeni, a drive of just 115km, to attend the unveiling of a statue.

The information surfaced after the DA wrote to Mchunu questioning the king's use of private charters in the past two financial years.

At the opening of the KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislature in February, King Goodwill nevertheless spoke about "guarding" taxpayers' money.

"It is my wish that you [MPLs] also understand and accept the yoke that comes with being a member of this house. I think the oath you made commits you ... in guarding ... the use of taxpayers' money," he said.

Mchunu's spokesman, Thamsanqa Ngwenya, confirmed the trips. It was unclear if the king travelled alone.

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His 13 flights - 12 of them from Ulundi's Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi Airport - cost R2.82-million. Zwelithini has a royal residence just a few kilometres from the airport, which was recently upgraded to the tune of R30-million.

The flights are the latest in a spate of extravagant spending by the royal household. In December, the Sunday Times revealed that King Zwelithini sought a R10-million bailout after he had depleted his R54-million budget. He spent nearly R4-million for his lavish two-day wedding to 28-year-old Swazi Zola Mafu in July, and also spent an estimated R300, 000 on new curtains for her residence.

The flights were authorised by the now defunct department of the royal household, which has since been absorbed into the premier's office.

King Zwelithini's second most expensive flight was the one from Ulundi to Cape Town for dinner with Erdmann.

The institute's spokeswoman, Stacey Davidson confirmed Hermann and the king had in fact met four times in 2014.

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"The main purpose of the meetings were to present our concept as well as the progress made in the province, since our programme created small business and job opportunities."

DA MPL Francois Rodgers questioned this "extravagant form of travel" and asked why the king, when he needed to fly, did not use Business Class on the national carrier SAA.

"Our province can no longer be exposed to what appears to be continued fruitless and wasteful expenditure within the royal household. We expect premier Mchunu to justify just how this type of travel was of benefit to KwaZulu-Natal. It is outrageous that such extravagant travel expenditure can be entertained," said Rodgers.

Ngwenya said Mchunu "does not disregard [government] austerity measures". He said King Zwelithini did make use of private charters, but that it was not Mchunu who approved the flights.

"The logistical arrangements would have been approved by the accounting officer of the now defunct department of the royal household based on the requirements and motivation."

savidesm@sundaytimes.co.za, olifantn@sundaytimes.co.za