The launch of the Ingonyama Trust Board’s inaugural Traditional Council Strategic Engagement Forum was abruptly derailed today after His Majesty King MisuZulu kaZwelithini, the sole trustee of the board, stated he had no knowledge or blessing for the event.
The three-day forum, intended as a participatory platform for traditional leaders, failed to commence as scheduled. The collapse followed public revelations that the King had not been consulted about the gathering, leading to a mass refusal by attending amakhosi (traditional leaders) to proceed without his approval.
The newly appointed Traditional Prime Minister of the Zulu Kingdom, Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, addressed the media on the scene. He confirmed the King’s position, stating, “His majesty has made it clear that he was never part of the consultation process.” He further revealed that the board, constituted in 2023 by the former Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, had “never enjoyed the confidence” of the province’s 283 amakhosi, who were also not consulted.
“The meeting has collapsed now because amakhosi have made it clear that they cannot proceed in the absence of his majesty the king’s blessings,” Reverend Buthelezi stated.
The Prime Minister also disclosed that the current Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso, had written to the King indicating he was unaware of the meeting. According to Reverend Buthelezi, the minister’s letter communicated a decision to launch an independent investigation into the board’s activities, to be headed by Advocate Marumo Moerane SC, and to consider placing board members on special leave pending the outcome.
“We hope that that process really will bear fruit and give us the true picture of what has been happening,” Reverend Buthelezi said.
He emphasized that the King and the amakhosi, as custodians of the land under the Ingonyama Trust, were united. “If Ingonyama Trust Board does not recognize that authority then what happens is what we have seen today,” he concluded.
Following a lunch break, representatives sent by the King and the gathered amakhosi did not return to the venue. The Ingonyama Trust Board has not yet provided a way forward on the fate of the planned three-day forum. The board itself is reported to be divided, compounding the crisis of confidence at the heart of the Trust’s administration.