Zulu royals to continue being subsidised

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini. File picture: Siyasanga Mbambani

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini. File picture: Siyasanga Mbambani

Published Mar 8, 2017

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Durban - Although the Royal Household Trust remains a shambles and is unable to generate its own revenue, King Goodwill Zwelithini’s family will continue to receive their budget allocation from the KwaZulu-Natal government, said finance head Simiso Magagula.

Magagula was addressing the media at the KZN legislature on Tuesday before finance MEC Belinda Scott presented the provincial budget.

Scott allocated R58.9 million to the trust, which is charged with looking after the king’s family, his farms and maintaining the palaces.

In the 2016/2017 financial year the trust was allocated R74m. The Budget is also used to fund traditional ceremonies such as the Reed Dance.

The trust was formed after the Royal Household Department was dissolved about three years ago, and replaced by the trust which was tasked to operate independently from the government by generating revenue for the royal family.

Magagula said the trust was allocated a budget because “they have not started generating their own revenue”.

He said the cabinet mandated the provincial treasury to help it be self-sustainable.

“The trust is a concern. But its timeline (to be self-sustainable) would be best handled by the premier, who is responsible.”

The chairman of the trust, Professor Sihawu Ngubane, confirmed last night that the trust was battling to make money. He said this was because when the trust took over from the defunct department there were debts to be settled.

“Our challenge is that we have been paying debt, but now we are starting to focus on generating money,” he said.

“I can’t project that in five years time or two years or two months time we would start generating it.

“Our ultimate goal is to end up surviving without the government Budget because our government allocation is dwindling every year. What we are hoping is to be able to generate our own money.”

IFP MPL Blessed Gwala said it had warned former

premier S’bu Ndebele that the trust would never be able to operate without government funding.

He said the party had told Ndebele that KZN was unlike North West Province where the Royal Bafokeng was generating revenue through mining.

“They only reduced the

department into a mere chief directorate with no plan to take it forward,” said Gwala.

The Mercury

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