AfriForum to assist communities on Ingonyama Trust land

To ensure socioeconomic development of the Zulu nation, the Zulu kingdom is partnering with AfriForum to utilise underused Ingonyama Trust land.

This emerged during the inaugural Zulu Kingdom Investment Conference in Durban on Tuesday. 

The conference discussed ways in which citizens of the Zulu kingdom can participate in the economy of their territory under the control of the Ingonyama Trust.

The trust was established in 1994 to hold all the land that belonged to the former KwaZulu government. It holds it for the benefit of the members of the tribes and communities living on the land.

Prof Musa Xulu said the conference was initiated by a group of private people and presented to Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini.

Xulu said the aim was to ensure people became less reliant on government and rely on their own capabilities and capacities.

“There are tracts of underutilised Ingonyama Trust land so we’re trying to put together our thinking about how we can mobilise Amakhosi to be economic development agents and champions.”

He said Amakhosi should have development committees rather than only having amabutho.

“Amabutho are not productive, they are cultural. So why not convert that energy into participation in farming and partner with knowledgeable organisations like AfriForum to become more productive so you have food security in your household,” he said.

Xulu said their long term aim was to achieve economic freedom.

On the decision to work with AfriForum, he said the organisation had a network of experienced farmers. .

“They have the knowledge and we need that knowledge to support our communities.”

Inkhosi Sifiso Shinga, the KwaZulu-Natal house of traditional leaders chairperson, said he was happy about the initiative because it came at a time of massive unemployment when unemployed graduates were starting to lose hope.

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said the organisation will solely play an advisory role to the communities and would not be involved as shareholders.

“We are not going to come in and try to run it because we know the strength lies in the communities.

“Our role will be more of facilitating and giving advice. We must remember in all communities there are shining stars so we need to advise people in communities who take responsibility and ownership has to be by the community,” Kriel said.

He said they had learned from their mistakes as the Afrikaner community and were ready to share their lessons with those willing to learn from them.

“If you look at the Afrikaner mistakes, the communities looked after themselves way back in our history during British rule.

“Then during the apartheid system Afrikaners became reliant on the government and we had to go back to our roots and say ‘we need to take responsibility for our own future’.” 

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