AmaZulu king Misuzulu kaZwelithini wants direct control of the Ingonyama Trust Board.
Image: Supplied
As AmaZulu king Misuzulu kaZwelithini's high-powered panel prepares to lobby political parties to place the Ingonyama Trust Board under his direct control, traditional leaders have pledged to support the panel.
Next week, the panel which includes cultural and legal experts are expected to make representations to 13 political parties in Parliament and lobby them to vote for the proposed amendments to the Ingonyama Trust Act of 1994 as amended in 1997. King Misuzulu kaZwelithini is seeking a transfer of all power regarding the board's appointment and removal, which is currently vested in the government, specifically the Minister of Land Reform, Mzwanele Nyhontso, under the existing Act. The monarch wants these powers placed directly under his control.
The traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal met in Durban on Tuesday and resolved to support the king’s action to seize control of the board. In a short statement issued after the meeting, the traditional leaders supported the move and announced that they will accompany the panel to Cape Town next week.
Delivering his address to officially open the provincial legislature in February, Misuzulu announced the appointment of retired KwaZulu-Natal judge president Mjabuliseni Madondo and Senior Counsel Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi to draft an amendment to the Ingonyama Trust Act, which will be presented to members of Parliament for a vote.
The delegation would be led by Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, Prime Minister of the Zulu nation and chairperson of the delegation. He will be supported by Ngcukaitobi and African cultural experts Professor Jabulani Maphalala and Professor Gugu Mazibuko, who will provide legal, academic and cultural support to the delegation.
Meanwhile, the board is still in office after it successfully challenged its disbandment by Nyhontso in court.