AmaZulu King defends Ingonyama Trust

AmaZulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has called on the people of KwaZulu-Natal to defend the Ingonyama Trust amid calls for the scrapping of the entity.

The trust controls the province’s rural land. Addressing MPLs during the opening of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday, the king said the Ingonyama Trust protects the heritage of the people of KZN.

“When it comes to the Ingonyama Trust, I have no doubt that it still has a role to play. “So, we all have a responsibility to ensure that the Ingonyama Trust functions in a way that benefits our people, particularly those living in rural areas,” he said.

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High-profile personalities who were among the guests at the venue to hear the king speak included former president Jacob Zuma and IFP founder, Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi, who is a fierce defender of the Ingonyama Trust.

The Ingonyama Trust Act
In 2019, a panel of experts led by former president Kgalema Motlanthe, recommended that the Ingonyama Trust Act, which placed KwaZulu-Natal’s rural land under the control of the Zulu king, should either be amended or repealed.

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Established through the Ingonyama Trust Act, the Ingonyama Trust in August suffered another blow when the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) upheld the Pietermaritzburg high court’s ruling that the entity is not entitled to collect rent from rural dwellers.

The Ingonyama Trust is one of the things which distinguishes us. It’s about who we are as the people of KZN.
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The Zulu king is the sole trustee of the Ingonyama Trust — which controls about 2,8 million hectares of KZN’s land.

The SCA ruling
While the king did not specifically make any reference to the SCA ruling, he however said he was concerned about some developments within areas which are under traditional leadership, particularly the killing of traditional leaders.

“In as far as the killing of chiefs and izinduna is concerned, I call upon the government, traditional leaders and the police to convene an urgent meeting.

“The meeting should not focus on establishing whether traditional leaders in KZN are being killed — that fact has already been established.

What the meeting should come up with are solutions.
The king, who was delivering his maiden speech at the KZN Legislature, was speaking after the release of crime statistics showing that murders are on the rise in the province.

The killing of people in general, the king said, is a major concern.

“Too many people in South Africa are being killed by firearms. What has become clear is that the circulation of illegal firearms in the country has put the lives of ordinary citizens in grave danger,” he said.

Call for economic development programmes in rural areas
Apart from calling for an end to violent crimes, the king also urged the KZN provincial government to ensure that there were economic development programmes in rural areas.

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The Zulu king, who was inaugurated last year following the death of his father, King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu in 2021, also called for ethical leadership.

“I call for conscience leadership and social accountability, starting with uBukhosi [traditional leadership]. Leaders in government, business, clergy and uBukhosi must set an example of practising integrity, justice, inclusivity, empathy, diligence, and morality. I implore everyone, at whatever level they may be serving, to religiously follow the dictates of practices and principles of conscience leadership,” he said.

The king’s speech to the KZN Legislature will be followed by Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube’s State of the Province Address (Sopa), which is due to be tabled on Friday.