DURBAN - The Zulu Royal Household says that the perceived rift between King Misuzulu ka Zwelithini and the Traditional Prime Minister to the Zulu Monarch and Nation Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi was a difference of opinion on the running of the kingdom and the king’s vision.
Prince Africa Zulu, King Misuzulu’s newly appointed spokesperson, told the Sunday Tribune that at the centre of the clash of opinions between the King and Buthelezi was the King’s appointment of Inkosi Thanduyise Mzimela of the Mzimela Tribal Authority as the chairperson of the Ingonyama Trust Board.
The King is the sole trustee of the Ingonyama Trust Board which oversees around 3 million hectares of land in KwaZulu-Natal and was established by Buthelezi in the lead-up to South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994.
Mzimela’s appointment last month ended the reign of long-serving Ingonyama Trust Board chairperson Judge Jerome Ngwenya, Buthelezi’s trusted ally.
“Prince Buthelezi is from an era where he has a traditional approach to solutions over current challenges.
“The King (Misuzulu) has a new vision as the times are changing and he wants things to be done in accordance with the changing of the times so that he can deal with the many issues that are out there. It seems like uMntwana (Prince Buthelezi) wanted to hold on to the status quo to have former Judge Jerome Ngwenya continuing,” Zulu said.
“It is very important that people understand that there is only one King in KwaZulu and that is King Misuzulu. We should all learn that his word is final because the kingdom is his and the rest of us are just giving support,” Zulu said.
Buthelezi has been widely seen as having played a pivotal role in the ascendance of King Misuzulu to the amaZulu throne following a drawn-out battle between Misuzulu and his siblings including Prince Smakade over who was the rightful heir.
Zulu said that the view that there were people who had elevated the King to the throne was unfounded and untrue saying they were “just mere witnesses” to the King’s ascension to power.
“There is no one person who can say that they single-handedly installed the king. The King has been installed by God and divine heavenly powers,” Zulu said.
Earlier this month Buthelezi told Amakhosi in a meeting in Ulundi that King Misuzulu was rejecting advice and that the King had even proposed that he becomes chairperson of the Ingonyama Trust Board.
At a another meeting with amakhosi in May in Empangeni, Buthelezi said he was finding it difficult to serve under the King who was refusing to heed advice over the Ingonyama Trust and even sought the amakhosi’s advice on whether or not he should continue as the Traditional Prime Minister.
Last month Buthelezi said that there was nothing new in attempts to drive a wedge between the King and his Prime Minister and that he had seen these attempts many times over almost 70 years in service.
“Greed for power and money has always been at the centre of it. I have endured unjust attacks and hateful experiences for the greater part of my life because of the position I hold as the King’s Prime Minister.
I have tolerated it because I am committed to serving and protecting my King and my nation. There is no personal benefit to holding this position. There is no salary attached to it, and there never has been. Not a single cent comes my way for being the Prime Minister,” Buthelezi said.
A source with intimate knowledge of Zulu Royal Household affairs and years of dealing with the Royal Household confirmed that the tension between the King and his Prime Minister stemmed from the Ingonyama Trust.
“The King and Buthelezi ought to have sat down and discussed issues around the Ingonyama Trust behind closed doors, but Prince Buthelezi keeps on ventilating issues that ought to have been dealt with internally,” the source said.
The source added that Buthelezi had felt defied by King Misuzulu on the appointments he had made to the Ingonyama Trust Board.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE