By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provincial government has cut the budget for the Royal Household Unit, which looks after Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini.
The current financial year’s budget allocation for the unit now stands at R77.5m – a slight decrease from the R79.5m of the previous financial year. .
Premier Thami Ntuli tabled his R784.1 million budget at the Pietermaritzburg-based legislature on Tuesday.
Ntuli was appointed premier by the government of provincial unity comprising the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Democratic Alliance (DA), African National Congress (ANC) and National Freedom Party (NFP).
The king’s office falls under the premier’s office and is allocated a budget for its functions each financial year.
In his policy speech, Ntuli allocated the royal household unit R77.5 million for the current financial year.
While this is R2 million less than the previous year, Ntuli said the budget will cover the monarch’s activities.
“The office of the premier provides the Royal Household Trust. His Majesty the King’s activities include, among other things, hosting of annual traditional and cultural events to preserve and restore the Zulu culture, as well as the hosting and celebration of heritage events such as the King’s coronation,” said Ntuli.
The MK Party said it was disappointed by the allocation, suggesting the budget for the king should increase by 100%.
Read the KZN Budget Highlights here:KZN Budget 2024/25.
Meanwhile Fullview learnt that the future MK Party members in the KZN legislature was uncertain.
The party has claimed that some of its members were ANC spies bent on sowing divisions in the party.
The party vowed to weed out all the infiltrators if there was evidence linking them to any wrongdoing – including collaborating with the ANC.
After the MKP managed to win 37 seats in KZN, there were claims by some party members that the provincial list of members to the legislature had been manipulated to block some members from going to the legislature.
The party is facing many challenges, having fired 18 members of Parliament this week who are accused of fraudulently putting their names on the list for Parliament.