A logo of the Ingonyama Trust Board showing land in the background. File Image: parliament.gov.za
Durban: The Ingonyama Trust Board has welcomed the proposal for a forensic investigation into its affairs, but warned that the national government must pay for such an investigation.
The board said such a probe would provide a clear understanding of the organisation’s state of governance and give its leaders comfort that everything is above board.
However, it cautioned that the investigation must be based on legal statutes and should be funded by the national government, as the entity cannot afford to pay for such an investigation.
Chairperson of the board, King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, recently wrote to the Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Mzwanele Nyhontso, requesting his urgent co-operation and endorsement of the decision for a forensic investigation into the Ingonyama Trust and its board.
The Ingonyama Trust administers about a third of the land, or almost 3 million hectares of land, in KwaZulu-Natal and it is administered by Nyhontso’s department.
While the board members yesterday insisted that their relationship with the king is “normal”, there have been several public incidents that have demonstrated deep division between the board and its chairperson.
Yesterday, the board held a media briefing to introduce its members some 18 months after their installation, stating that the meeting was long overdue.
It said it is committed to transparency and accountability to those it serves, including taxpayers, adding that the media engagement was key to opening the lines of communication.
The meeting addressed various topics, ranging from the relationship with the king to views on the development of rural land.
The board revealed that it was planning a meeting with the king and had also sent Amakhosi who are part of the board to meet with him; however, that meeting had not materialised due to the king’s busy schedule.
The board was at pains to stress that its relationship with the king is “normal”, adding that when the king participates in board meetings, there is good engagement.
The board members implied that negative media reports could be the result of “some other influence out there.”
Speaking on the call for a forensic investigation, the vice-chairperson of the board, advocate Linda Zama, expressed support for the move.
“It must have been something like four years ago when the minister of the day wanted a forensic investigation of this organisation, but she was pushed back by the then-chairperson of the board. It is correct that we have received notice of investigation from His Majesty,” Zama said.
“For us, that is not a challenge. The only thing is that, even previously before this board came into power, we had said to the national office, ‘Minister, make sure that the costs are absorbed by your office up there; that is number one.
“Number two, any investigation needs to be supported by regulations. We are aware that the minister received that letter, and we would like to be guided by the minister as far as that is concerned.”
She speculated that part of the reason for the investigation is that “there are funds that were disbursed by the previous board that have not been accounted for, even by this board”.
“Most of you have been reading about this R41 million. We also would like to know where this R41 million went. We are aware that this has been pointed out in the public domain, and we cannot deny it.”
The CEO of the entity, Vela Mngwengwe, said the king had expressed the wish that since he had taken over the chairperson-ship of the board, he would want some level of comfort that all was above board.
“For that reason, he would want some level of forensic investigation to just check that things are in order and that they are as they are supposed to be so that when he sits, he does so in a clean seat.”
The CEO also revealed that the board is engaging with the various municipalities in the province to address concerns about rates demanded from the entity.
Approached for comment, Thulasizwe Buthelezi, Traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu King Misuzulu, said: “His Majesty rejects the board and is not prepared to work with the board. The only solution is for the board to be dissolved.
“His Majesty feels that the board has no legitimacy or credibility since it has never convened a meeting of Amakhosi since its inception.”