The bitter dispute between amaZulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and the Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) has deepened after the monarch snubbed a three-day strategic planning conference in Durban where he was expected to deliver the keynote address.
The gathering, attended by more than 600 delegates at a cost of just over R6m, was convened to discuss long-overdue court cases, frosty relations with amakhosi, the laws governing the board and the need for compliance with the Public Finance Management Act.
It also sought to develop strategies to make communal land under the trust more attractive to investors, a goal that has been on the table since the 1990s and is seen as a pathway to greater independence for the Zulu royal family and other traditional communities from state resources.
The king’s absence was communicated through his recently reappointed traditional prime minister, Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi, who claimed the king had not been invited.
Buthelezi, who also serves as KwaZulu-Natal MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, was reinstated last week after being dismissed a year ago. His statement drew a sharp response from Adv Linda Zama, vice chairperson of the ITB, who insisted the king had been properly consulted.
Zama said the board had made three attempts to secure his attendance: sending a delegation of three officials to his palace, delivering letters to his official office which works closely with the office of the premier and attempting to directly hand deliver an invitation.
“It is misleading to suggest His Majesty was not consulted. We tried every possible channel to ensure his participation. The intention was to disrupt the work of the board, but after lunch the business of the day continued,” she said.
According to Zama, delegates debated pressing land administration challenges, including boundary disputes, community trusts failing to return revenue, telecom towers erected on communal land with unclear rental distribution and demands for transparency on funds generated from schools, hospitals and churches. Amakhosi raised concerns that businesses using trust land fail to report back to them, undermining accountability.
The dispute has also drawn in the minister of agriculture, land reform and rural development, who has repeatedly asserted only his department has the legal authority to appoint, suspend or dismiss board members. This position directly challenges the king’s assertion of broader powers as sole trustee and chairperson of the ITB, and parliament has previously ruled his unilateral suspension of board members was unlawful.
Cultural and political expert Prof Musa Xulu said the king’s boycott cannot be divorced from the ongoing tensions.
“What seems to be confusing is that Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi, in his capacity as the traditional prime minister to the king, told the media the king was not informed. However, members of the Ingonyama Trust Board say they went to meet with and brief the king in person more than two months ago, and also claim they briefed Buthelezi last week. Cancelling the conference would have constituted fruitless expenditure, which would have breached the Public Finance Management Act. The king, as sole trustee and chair of the board, does not necessarily have executive powers over its affairs. This is a governance issue which needs repetitive workshops between the king and the board. The minister of land reform may have to be more assertive in this regard,” Xulu said.
“The board has, therefore, taken much responsibility by continuing with the conference. The king as the sole trustee and chair of the board does not necessarily have executive powers over the affairs of the board. This is a governance issue which needs repetitive workshops between the king and the board. The minister of land reform may have to be more assertive in this regard. Often the minister seems to think the only way to solve the stand-off is to dissolve the board.”
Attempts to obtain comment from Prince Thulani Zulu, the king’s official spokesperson, were unsuccessful.
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