No attempts by govt to bar Zulu chiefs from signing off on land, says Agri Dept

ULUNDI - Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini met with all traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) over what has been described as threats to strip them of powers in relation to the Ingonyama Trust Board.

The board, which oversees almost three million hectares of land in the province, is chaired by the Zulu monarch as its sole trustee, with the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development as a shareholder.

Zulu traditional prime minister Thulasizwe Buthelezi alleges that the ministry wants to reserve a process to sign off permission for land to be occupied by individuals and businesses.

The meeting took place at the old KZN legislature in Ulundi, north of the province, where the king is expected to indicate a way forward on the matter. 

The meeting is over one of the Zulu royalty’s valuable assets, the Ingonyama Trust Board, which has vast land, controlled under traditional authority in the province and makes millions of rand in revenue.

Recently, Buthelezi alleged that there were attempts by government to stop chiefs and headsmen from being able to sign off land.

But this is something the ministry has denied.

Spokesperson, Reggie Ngcobo spoke to Eyewitness News.

"There is no intention by the minister to take the powers of amakhosi in their responsibility to allocate PTOs [Permission To Occupy]. The implications of the CASAC case is that the Ingonyama Trust Board must reverse the conversion of PTO to leases."

The meeting continued, as traditional leaders and the king were expected to air their views.