King Misuzulu kaZwelithini took a veiled swipe at land reform and rural development minister Mzwanele Nyhontso for his handling of the Ingonyama Trust board's affairs.
Speaking during the opening of the provincial legislature at Woodburn stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday, the king said he was “tired of people who are putting a finger in his eyes”.
“For those who do not know, the land administered by Ingonyama Trust board was not given to us on a silver platter, but it is the small land that our forefathers fought for. I need to say this because in this government there are people who think they are doing us a favour for this land,” he said.
The king said there is no minister who can claim he is administering the land of the Zulu nation.
“Where will I be, where will Amakhosi be as well, where will be the Zulu nation, this land belongs to amadelamzimba (people who are not afraid of death),” he said.
“Like my father, I am not a warlord but I am also not an idiot or a coward,” he warned.
The king is at loggerheads with the trust's board members and attempted to suspend them and dissolve the board but his action was revoked by Nyhontso.
Nyhontso sent a delegation of his department portfolio committee members to meet the king on Monday, but the monarch shunned them, citing ill health. The committee members led by IFP strongman Mangaqa Mncwango were left to meet other Zulu royal family members.
The intervention came after the king hosted an imbizo in Nongoma on Friday with amabutho and Amakhosi at which he revealed the resistance to his attempts to take action against board members and the minister's alleged lack of support.
The late king Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu squared up with the government under former president Kgalema Motlanthe when in 2018 it attempted to repeal the Ingonyama Trust Act and suggested the land should be put under the administration of the rural development and land reform department. The matter was put on hold.
During his address, the king also decried rampant crime, gender-based violence and femicide in the province and paid tribute to the families of the 14 soldiers who perished in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He hailed KwaZulu-Natal premier Thamsanqa Ntuli for strengthening traditional leadership in the province.
In his response, Ntuli promised to address the concerns raised and said the provincial government of unity would continue to “inspire new hope” among the citizens of the province.
TimesLIVE
King takes veiled swipe at minister over Ingonyama Trust board saga
'I am not a warlord but I am also not an idiot or a coward'
Image: SUPPLIED
King Misuzulu kaZwelithini took a veiled swipe at land reform and rural development minister Mzwanele Nyhontso for his handling of the Ingonyama Trust board's affairs.
Speaking during the opening of the provincial legislature at Woodburn stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday, the king said he was “tired of people who are putting a finger in his eyes”.
“For those who do not know, the land administered by Ingonyama Trust board was not given to us on a silver platter, but it is the small land that our forefathers fought for. I need to say this because in this government there are people who think they are doing us a favour for this land,” he said.
The king said there is no minister who can claim he is administering the land of the Zulu nation.
“Where will I be, where will Amakhosi be as well, where will be the Zulu nation, this land belongs to amadelamzimba (people who are not afraid of death),” he said.
“Like my father, I am not a warlord but I am also not an idiot or a coward,” he warned.
The king is at loggerheads with the trust's board members and attempted to suspend them and dissolve the board but his action was revoked by Nyhontso.
Nyhontso sent a delegation of his department portfolio committee members to meet the king on Monday, but the monarch shunned them, citing ill health. The committee members led by IFP strongman Mangaqa Mncwango were left to meet other Zulu royal family members.
The intervention came after the king hosted an imbizo in Nongoma on Friday with amabutho and Amakhosi at which he revealed the resistance to his attempts to take action against board members and the minister's alleged lack of support.
The late king Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu squared up with the government under former president Kgalema Motlanthe when in 2018 it attempted to repeal the Ingonyama Trust Act and suggested the land should be put under the administration of the rural development and land reform department. The matter was put on hold.
During his address, the king also decried rampant crime, gender-based violence and femicide in the province and paid tribute to the families of the 14 soldiers who perished in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He hailed KwaZulu-Natal premier Thamsanqa Ntuli for strengthening traditional leadership in the province.
In his response, Ntuli promised to address the concerns raised and said the provincial government of unity would continue to “inspire new hope” among the citizens of the province.
TimesLIVE
READ MORE:
Ingonyama Trust board members behind alleged corruption named and shamed at Zulu king's imbizo
Amakhosi prepared to fight over Zulu king vs Ingonyama Trust board row, says Buthelezi
King calls for imbizo over 'threats to Zulu nation' amid poison plot rumour and latest insider 'firing'
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos