Johannesburg – The ascendancy of MisuZulu kaZwelithini to the throne of the AmaZulu kingdom is expected to culminate in a shift in the way that traditional leadership is perceived.
The 46-year-old is expected to not only carry forward the legacy of his late father but will also champion investment and job opportunities for rural communities.
It is also expected that Misu- Zulu, the son of the late Ama- Zulu King Zwelithini kaBhekuZulu and Queen Mantfombi Dlamini, will embrace the new concept known as developmental monarchs, which was tabled by the national house of traditional leaders in the National Assembly last year.
The concept is underpinned by transforming traditional leaders to not only play a ceremonial role of being custodians of culture and heritage but to also be key drivers of economic prosperity by reviving rural towns, focusing on agriculture, mining, and tourism.
A document titled Invest rural master plan has already been developed to be the vehicle for this major shift.
The chairperson of the national house of traditional leaders, Inkosi Sipho Mahlangu, said he had the confidence that the new AmaZulu king would continue to play a progressive role.
“Traditional leaders are now taking the lead in developing rural communities. Invest rural master plan will change rural challenges into investible opportunities. As a respected monarch, King Zwelithini’s voice was crucial in the house of traditional leadership.
“We have confidence that the new king will also take a lead in our pursuit of calling for support and enabling the environment for rural communities to be self-sufficient.”
The late King Zwelithini was hailed for reviving, restoring, and nurturing Zulu cultural belief systems and protecting the traditional land under the Ingonyama Trust in which the king was the sole trustee.
His detractors were, however, quick to point out that the royal household budget allocated annually for his upkeep was unnecessary and amounted to wasteful expenditure.
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They proposed that the late king find ways to generate his own income for the seven royal palaces. For the 2021 financial year, the new AmaZulu king has been allocated a budget of more than R66-million from the Kwa- Zulu-Natal government coffers.
“The seat of a monarch is more of a ceremonial role because it doesn’t wield much influence in terms of impacting on policies and how a province or country is governed.
“But it remains a vital cog in terms of the development agenda of rural communities within the province,” said professor Jabulani Maphalala, a retired academic, and Zulu history expert.
“Even his father acknowledged that the tribal land was under threat. Generally, the government has stripped off the absolute powers of traditional leaders to have a say on how land in their communities is managed or distributed.
“In essence, the land is no longer in the hands of traditional leaders,” Maphalala said.
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