Parliament’s committee on land reform and rural development is set to meet amaZulu King
MisuZulu kaZwelithini to solicit his version on the contentious issue of land under the
Ingonyama Trust.
The entity, which controls over 3 million hectares of land that fell under the former self-governing homeland of KwaZulu has been under scrutiny for some time.
During the sitting of the committee this week, the king’s role in the trust was brought into question. This was after the committee delayed intervening in the shenanigans plaguing the entity because it wanted guidance from parliament’s constitutional and legal services.
A report prepared by Zuraya Adhikarie, chief parliamentary legal adviser and submitted to this week’s meeting, noted: “The constitutional and legal services office was requested to advise the portfolio committee on land reform and rural development on how it should respond to the governance challenges at the Ingonyama Trust board more specifically, whether the king who is the sole trustee of the Ingonyama Trust and chairperson of the board has the power to suspend board members or disband the board.
“Our office was further requested to provide an insight into the legal foundations of the Ingonyama Trust and the board and how the trust differs from other ordinary trusts.”
The legal services also said as stipulated in the trust act, the king as the chairperson of the board is answerable to parliament. He also has no authority to appoint or disband the board.
In the never-ending jostling, the king dissolved the board. He then ordered a full investigation into the affairs of the board, including the alleged millions of rands missing from the fund.
According to the king, as the sole trustee, the decision to appoint or sack board members rests with him. For the first time since its inception, the king installed himself as chairperson.
His decision was, however, overturned by Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development Mzwanele Nyhontso. The fired board members were told to return to work.
However, the king allegedly ordered security guards not to allow anyone into the entity’s premises located in Pietermaritzburg, which also serves as the capital of the province. The suspended board members include the entity’s chief executive officer Vela Mngwengwe.
The Ingonyama Trust is a key asset amassing wealth through mining royalties and rental fees from leasing land and offices to various government departments.
