Former guesthouse owner notorious for racism denounces King Goodwill

Controversial former Sodwana Bay guesthouse owner Andre Slade has denounced the authority of Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini, claiming Zwelithini is not a king and does not deserve the title, Zululand Observer reports.

Slade, together with his partner Inanna Katarina Krizani, who have been found guilty of hate speech by the Ubombo Magistrates’ Court and were fined R50 000, previously made headlines in 2016 when an email was sent out saying that the Sodwana Bay Guesthouse no longer accommodated blacks or government officials.

READ MORE: Controversial Sodwana guesthouse owner guilty of hate speech

The pair have now taken their fight to Zwelithini, something they said was their initial aim.

“We’re taking up a war against him, specifically because he blasphemes, as he is not a king.

“That was what we were originally fighting against, before the equality court case came about.

“A king is not someone selected by the people, but someone who is selected by God,” Slade told the Zululand Observer in a telephonic interview on Friday morning.

His sentiments were fueled by, what he claims, as five to six years of refusing to make rental payments for the land that he was given years previously.

Earlier this month Slade, was issued with a letter from the Ingonyama Trust Board, which demanded an immediate payment of R62 584 – an accumulation of monies owed over the years.

Slade said they would not make any payments.

“I’ve told them basically they can go ahead and sue us.

“We’re quite happy about it because we are heading in the right direction. We want challenges, and he is an illegal king.

“The Ingonyama Trust Board automatically became redundant to me when I found out they are part of government.

“I didn’t want to deal with them and I also stopped paying tax because I don’t belong to the laws of their corporation.”

Slade’s views of the South African government are that it is “a corporation being run from Washington DC”.

He believes the government is not a government for the people, but rather a government for progress and to rule the people.

“We’re basically fighting communism – because not everyone is the same, and that’s what the government is trying to do; they are trying to make us believe that we are all equal when we are not.”

He claimed the local community would stand with him if anyone tried to forcefully remove them from their property.

“The community is kind to us, they have told us that we mustn’t worry about anything, and there is no animosity whatsoever.

“We will not comply with the government’s laws and regulations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Prince Thulani Zulu, family spokesperson for the royal household, said people must not confuse the Ingonyama Trust and the king.

“The Ingonyama Trust Board is a rural development entity that just manages the land, and you cannot link the king with the Trust.

“The King does did not demand that money, it is not for him but for rural development,” said Zulu.

Chairperson of the Ingonyama Trust Board, Judge Jerome Ngwenya, could not be reached for comment at the time of going to print, despite a number of attempts.

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