- King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s spokesperson accused an unnamed senior government official of promising automatic personal title deeds to divide the King from traditional leaders.
- The King’s office has asked Land Reform Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso to investigate the money spent on the Ingonyama Trust indaba, a figure the King and the board dispute.
The Zulu King’s office has accused an unnamed senior government official of sowing division between King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and traditional leaders through promises of personal title deeds on Ingonyama Trust land.
The King’s spokesperson, Mpikayise Buthelezi, made the claims after a meeting of traditional leaders and the Ingonyama Trust Board at the Durban ICC. He said false claims had been made against the King to fuel hate against him. Buthelezi did not name the official he was referring to.
“It is misleading and unacceptable for anyone, including a senior government official, to sow division between His Majesty and amakhosi through promises of automatic personal title deeds without a lawful basis and the required procedures. Political assurances cannot transfer ownership or extinguish community rights. Section 2(5) requires prior written consent from the relevant traditional or community authority for specified dealings in Trust land. Section 2(7) permits lawful national land-reform programmes, with consultation with the Ingonyama,” Buthelezi said.
He said Section 2(8) protects the existing rights and interests of communities living on land under traditional authorities, and that all proposals must comply with these safeguards and the law. He urged amakhosi to reject attempts to exploit their relationship with the King for political ambitions.
“His Majesty remains a symbol of unity and custodian of Zulu customary traditions. Our position is unequivocal: communal land held through the Ingonyama Trust must remain protected for its lawful beneficiaries. No public office places anyone above the law,” Buthelezi said.
The King’s office called on Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso to investigate the approval and spending on the indaba. It wants the investigation to cover the source and actual amount spent, the approving authority, the minutes and resolutions establishing quorum and decision-making, procurement approvals and the benefit delivered to communities.
Buthelezi said the records must be preserved, and that suspected criminal offences must be referred to law enforcement, with steps taken to recover any funds unlawfully spent.
The cost of the indaba is itself disputed. King Misuzulu earlier accused the board of planning to spend R14 million of Trust funds on the meeting without his consent. Board spokesperson Simphiwe Mxakaza rejected that figure and said the allocation was R4 million. Representations from traditional leaders and the board after the event put the approved budget at R4.7 million, extended to R5 million to cover decentralised communications and event delivery.
Nyhontso moved earlier this year to dissolve the Ingonyama Trust Board, a decision the Pietermaritzburg High Court overturned.
Buthelezi said the King supports peaceful, lawful engagement and accountable administration, and that beneficiaries’ concerns need transparent, evidence-based answers. He said unsubstantiated allegations against the King, and attempts to deepen divisions between the Throne and amakhosi, must stop.
