EFF accuses Ingonyama Trust board of disrespecting King Misuzulu

• The board has promised to reply to the EFF’s list of complaints within seven days, and says it is not leaving before its term ends in five months.

The EFF in KwaZulu-Natal wants an independent investigation into how the Ingonyama Trust handles its money, including a recent summit at the Durban International Convention Centre.

EFF members protested outside the trust’s offices in Pietermaritzburg on Wednesday to show support for King Misuzulu kaZwelithini.

EFF leader in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature Mongezi Thwala told supporters the board shows no respect for traditional leaders and the king “while selling their land to the highest bidder”.

He said this in front of acting CEO Siyamdumisa Vilakazi, who came out to receive the party’s list of complaints.

Thwala said the board also snubbed the king by holding the summit without his approval.

He said the investigation must look at the trust’s books from 1 April 2021, and go further back where needed. It must cover the two convention centre meetings, buying of goods and services, top jobs and pay, legal and consultant fees, loans, grants, income and who gets land. It must also look at any spending that was irregular or wasted.

Thwala said it must find out who approved and received each payment in question, and whether the work was done.

The EFF also wants proof that the king was asked about the summit, and wants to know why it went ahead after he spoke out against it.

Thwala dismissed claims that the EFF does not respect King Misuzulu. He said people who hate the party spread this lie, and the king is the EFF’s king too.

The protest follows a tense weekend between the board and Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development Mzwanele Nyhontso, who called the board “rogue”. He asked King Misuzulu for permission to dissolve it.

The board says it is going nowhere. It says a court order of 26 March, which stops the minister from removing it, stands until its term ends in five months.

Vilakazi said the board would reply to the list of complaints within seven days. If the EFF is not happy with the answer, it is welcome to come back, he said.