AmaZulu King MisuZulu kaZwelithini has become a hot property ahead of the 2024 elections, attracting leaders from the main political parties.
The EFF, led by its commander-in-chief Julius Malema, was the first to descend on the heart of Zululand on Tuesday for a meeting with the man who commands massive influence within the AmaZulu nation.
During the meeting held at the former KwaZulu-Natal provincial legislature seat in Ulundi, northern part of the province, Malema gave the king his assurance that the land under Ingonyama Trust will be protected at all costs.
“Once you give accountability to parliament, you’re a state organ, so the land owned by Ingonyama Trust is owned by the state because the king is the state,” explained Malema, adding that the party will be criss-crossing the province to woo voters.
Malema also pointed out that the visit was aimed at cementing relations between the red berets and the king, and said traditional leaders should be active participants in the affairs of the country.
Ingonyama Trust
Ingonyama Trust, whose sole trustee is the king, controls over 2.8-hectares of land in KwaZulu-Natal and collects millions of rands in mining royalties and rates from its leased land, as well as major corporations.
In 2019, the presidential advisory panel headed by Kgalema Motlanthe recommended that the Ingonyama Trust Act be repealed, something which sparked a backlash from the late AmaZulu King Goodwill Zwelithini and traditional leaders.
On Wednesday, it was the DA’s chance to pay homage to the king.
The blue party’s delegation was led by Francois Rodgers, its leader in KwaZulu-Natal, who described the visit as honorary.
“It was an honorary visit to the king,” said Rodgers.
“The visit comes after an earlier request by the DA for an audience with His Majesty and also served as an opportunity to introduce our caucus members and outline the DA’s plan to rescue our province.”
KwaZulu-Natal is one of the provinces where major focus will be on, with the IFP already making it known that it is pulling all the stops to wrestle power from the governing ANC.
On the other hand, the red berets and the blue party are balling out for a kingmaker status.
