The Zulu king wearing traditional headgear speaks into a microphone King Misuzulu kaZwelithini. Picture: KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government.
Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso is expected to announce a way forward today in addressing the impasse between the Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) and its chairperson, King Misuzulu kaZwelithini.
The minister said yesterday that he is aware of the growing tensions between the ITB and the king.
The ITB, in a statement, essentially accused King Misuzulu of illegal interference in the running of the board by attempting to suspend its officials. It said he does not have the authority to do that.
The board stated that the king had written to inform them of his intention to suspend certain officials. The board manages almost three-million hectares of land on behalf of the Zulu people with the king as the sole trustee.
Speaking through his spokesperson, the minister said he is aware of the development (attempts to suspend) and will be engaging with the stakeholders.
Pressed on the views of the minister, especially on the king’s powers to suspend board officials in the ITB, the minister’s spokesperson said the
minister had decided to convene a press briefing today to address the matter.
In recent days, the board has received several letters from the king, one of which indicated that he had appointed a law firm—Van Rensburg Kruger Rakwena Attorneys—to carry out certain functions.
The king and the board have been at loggerheads for some time. The king has called for the board to be dissolved, asserting that it is impossible to work with them. He has also requested a forensic investigation into the board's affairs.
The minister has the power to dissolve the board.
The Mercury understands that those targeted for suspension include several board members, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the entity.
The ITB detailed the chronology of how the crisis has unfolded. On December 2, 2024, board members received a letter from King Misuzulu, the board chairperson, notifying them of the appointment of Stephen Jabulani Rakwena of Van Rensburg Kruger Rakwena Attorneys to undertake specific trustee functions.
The letter also conveyed that he was commissioning an independent forensic audit of the financial affairs of the Ingonyama Trust, the Ingonyama Trust Board and Ingonyama Holdings for the past five years.
On December 20, the board received a letter from Mr Rakwena, confirming his appointment by the trustee. He informed the board that he had appointed another law firm, Ahmed Gani Attorneys, to conduct the forensic investigation and requested the handover of the data room.
Some days later, the CEO, CFO and the majority of board members received letters of suspension issued by the king.
A source close to the trust, with knowledge of the letters, stated that the letters were signed by the king and distributed by the law firm.
“The CEO of the Ingonyama Trust is facing this suspension because he has insisted on compliance.
“Each time he is introduced to lawyers purportedly appointed by His Majesty, he insists that they have not been appointed through proper processes, which has led to the strikes against him.”