By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
IFP president and traditional prime minister to the Zulu monarch met with members of the royal family to respond to remarks made last week in which he indicated that he was thinking about leaving the position of AmaZulu Traditional Prime Minister.
The meeting took place on Friday in Ulundi, in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Buthelezi briefed them about the present state of the royal house and the Ingonyama Trust.
The issue of Ingonyama Trust has pitted Buthelezi against King Misuzulu to the extent that he has said he finds it difficult to serve as his traditional prime minister.
Their major differences are over the appointment of the Ingonyama Trust Board led by Inkosi Thanduyise Mzimela, replacing former Judge Jerome Ngwenya who was appointed to the position by the late King Goodwill Zwelithini, the father of the reigning king.
Buthelezi provided a history of the trust and why he feared the land it held would soon be sold.
He also raised concerns over the new board’s composition, saying one of the board members, Lisa del Grande, once publicly supported a recommendation by former president Kgalema Motlanthe that the trust be disbanded and the land be brought under government control.
After day-long public deliberations, the meeting was continued beyond of the media glare, and the traditional leaders mapped a way forward.
They announced several resolutions, the rejection of the new board and seeking an audience with Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development Thoko Didiza, who recently announced the nine-member board.
The resolutions were read out by Professor Otty Nxumalo, a royal family insider who was close to King Zwelithini and served as the chairperson of the coronation of King Misuzulu last year.
“The board that has been announced by the minister is not accepted and amakhosi are rejecting it since the minister of land installed it without consulting anyone, “Nxumalo read out part of the resolution, saying there was a committee that would meet with Didiza over the matter.
It was also resolved that Buthelezi should continue on as the traditional prime minister, and he should sign his affidavits supporting King Misuzulu’s court case.
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Video Courtesy of SABC.