Durban - King Goodwill Zwelithini has called for rural people to be granted title deeds for land they live on, which he said was in line with the country’s constitution.
Speaking during the opening of the KwaZulu-Natal House of Traditional Leaders in Ulundi on Tuesday, the king did not explain why he had decided to allow residents living on Ingonyama Trust land to have full rights to the land.
He said his decision was in line with the country’s law. “I recommend that residents of the land under traditional leadership should be given title deeds after following all processes of the Ingonyama Trust, which are in line with the policies of our national government with regard to land rights,” he said.
He warned that the issuing of title deeds would not be done overnight as there were many challenges, including financial constraints.
“I would like to urge my father’s people to be patient. I think many would understand why it is important to have a royal meeting to discuss this matter.”
The king had previously called on traditional leaders to join him in claiming all the land that the colonial and apartheid governments had seized from their predecessors.
“I would also like to emphasise that this programme is aimed at residential property. Land used for any other things would continue to be protected and allocated through existing arrangements of the Ingonyama Trust Board,” he said.
The board would assist residents of trust land in attaining their proof of residence, so that they were not deprived of any rights, such as access to government services, banking or voting in elections.
The board would soon come up with a date when he would meet the government, the trust and the traditional leaders to discuss how the land title deeds would work.
He said the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs should train its employees in how to work with traditional leaders, as many employees assigned to the leadership “are ignorant about how traditional leaders operate”.
“Traditional leadership is not a dump site for anyone who the government does not know where to assign,” he said.
The king said he had been disappointed that the government had failed to follow through on a number of promises it had made to him and other traditional leaders. These included joint land claims between traditional leaders and himself, issuing of medical aids to traditional leaders and salaries to headmen (izinduna).
“I am giving the government and traditional leaders another chance to discuss these matters and report back to me within a month,” he said.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Willies Mchunu, who attended the event, told the king he would take full responsibility for implementing outstanding demands of traditional leaders such as medical aids and salaries.
“When I took over as premier I had to analyse all these matters. I will see that they are implemented,” he said.
He also responded to the king’s concern about political violence that had ravaged the province.
Mchunu said he was shocked by the latest incidents of violence which brought KwaMashu and other areas north of Durban to a standstill this week.
“I have told leaders of the political party involved (ANC) that they should listen to the people’s complaints - even if people are insulting the leaders, we should listen to them.”
Mchunu said he would meet the king and traditional leaders soon to explain his decision to reshuffle his cabinet.
The Mercury