Ingonyama Trust ‘should be run by traditional leaders, not govt’
Traditional prime minister to the Zulu nation, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, says the royal family wants traditional leaders to have a bigger say in the running of the Ingonyama Trust.
He briefed the media in Durban on Monday on various issues affecting the Zulu royal family.
The Ingonyama Trust is responsible for 2.8 million hectares of land in the former homeland of KwaZulu-Natal, with King Misuzulu kaZwelithini the sole trustee after succeeding his late father King Goodwill Zwelithini kaBhekuzulu as monarch.
The trust’s board has been embroiled in legal battles over the ownership of the land, which generates around R90 million annually from the lease agreements.
Buthelezi said the royal family want Amakhosi (traditional leaders) to play a more significant and hands-on role in the governance of the Ingonyama Trust.
"Are Amakhosi that illiterate and incapable of running their own affairs that they must still report to a minister sitting in Cape Town about their own land inherited from their forefathers?
“Why must the land of the Zulu people be administered in Cape Town when Amakhosi have their own governance structures which are closer to the people and recognised in laws, such as the Provincial House of Traditional Leaders?
“As the sole trustee of Ingonyama Trust, His Majesty holds the land in trust on behalf of the Zulu nation and His Majesty will do everything in his power to protect, preserve and develop the land for the benefit of the Zulu nation.”
Buthelezi said King Misuzulu has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the National School of Government to train 200 Amakhosi, as part of preparations to take over the Ingonyama Trust,
"The training will empower Amakhosi to act as economic change agents in their communities. Transferring new knowledge and skills on how to build sustainable economic rural interventions for long-term economic impact, and capacitating Amakhosi to create sustainable jobs and community wealth," he added.
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