Gloves are off between AmaZulu King MisuZulu kaZwelithini and the office of the premier in KwaZulu-Natal over what he calls a concerted effort to render him a king without powers.
The trigger for the king’s sudden outbursts is the control of his affairs by a unit known as the king’s office located under the office of the premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
The office’s set of responsibilities, among others, includes managing the king’s diary and his movements.
“Even my late father was extremely fed-up and unhappy with this office because of its restrictions,” lashed out the AmaZulu king during a meeting with amakhosi (traditional leaders) in Olundi on Tuesday.
“In the manner that things are going, they would soon dictate to me on how I should conduct my bedroom affairs.”
According to MisuZulu, the office’s attempts are concerted efforts to micro-manage and take away his powers.
“We must stand up and fight this because soon we will have nothing called amakhosi, because they are coming for you,” he said.
He proposed that the duties of the king’s office should be transferred to the Ingonyama Trust Board, saying this will create synergy.
MisuZulu is the sole trustee of Ingonyama Trust Board and wants more than R79-million allocated for the royal upkeep to be held under the trust.
The meeting with amakhosi was convened following a backlash and legal tussle over the appointment of new Ingonyama Trust Board chairperson to take over control from retired judge Jerome Ngwenya, who had been at the helm since 2000.
Although a strong contingent of amakhosi had rejected the appointment of Thanduyise Mzimela, an inkosi leading the Mzimela Tribal Authority under King Cetshwayo district covering the areas of uMlalazi and Mthunzini in northern KwaZulu-Natal, MisuZulu told amakhosi that he will not reverse his decision.
The trust controls over 2.7-million hectares of tribal land and it collects revenue through leasing out land to big conglomerates such as various mines located on the province’s north coast.
This includes collecting money from commercial properties which make it a highly sought-after entity.
The Ingonyama Trust Board reports to the Ministry of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development currently headed by Thoko Didiza.
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