Zulu king ‘a political football’

King Goodwill Zwelithini

King Goodwill Zwelithini

Published Mar 20, 2015

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Durban - President Jacob Zuma’s decision to disband KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of the Royal Household undermined King Goodwill Zwelithini and was a direct attack on the IFP’s legacy, the IFP’s leader in the provincial legislature, Blessed Gwala, said on Thursday.

He said that the department, which had been in charge of King Goodwill Zwelithini’s affairs, but which was to be dissolved next month, was created by Lionel Mtshali while he was the IFP premier of KwaZulu-Natal.

Instead, the Zulu monarch’s affairs are to be run by the premier’s office and that of his family by the Royal Household Trust, which will fall under the premier’s office.

Zuma signed the proclamation in December to disband the department, which received in excess of R50 million a year.

 

“The IFP believes the disestablishment of the Department of the Royal Household is a political decision - not only to frustrate the IFP, but to support republicans who would never be in favour of the kingdom. Also the department was not established by the current administration,” Gwala said.

 

Gwala said Mtshali created the department after the IFP recognised that the king’s status needed to be taken care of by an independent government department.

He said it was disrespectful to leave the king’s affairs to a directorate in the office of the premier, and that of his family to the Royal Household Trust.

 

“It does not make sense for the king to be taken care of separately from his queens and children,” said Gwala. The premier’s office would look after the king’s fleet, travel and income, while the trust would look after his farms, livestock, palaces, queens and children.

KwaZulu-Natal director-general Nhlanhla Ngidi said the king was being taken care of by the premier’s office because of the official duties he undertook on behalf of the provincial government.

He said the royal family could not be looked after directly by the premier’s office.

Defending the dissolution of the Department of the Royal Household, finance portfolio committee chairman Sipho “KK” Nkosi said the department had harmed the reputation of the king and his family through bad publicity.

“We are sick and tired of bad publicity surrounding the royal household, which embarrassed our king. There is no nation similar to our own nation where the royal household is used as a political football. It does not happen in any country. You never hear of the British splashing their queen all over the show,” he said.

Ngidi said although the long-term plan for the trust was for it to be able to generate its own revenue, it would remain financially dependent on the province for the moment.

The Royal Household Trust’s acting chief financial officer, Bonginkosi Qunta, said the trust was looking at the model used for funding the British royals and the Royal Bafokeng in the North West to make the king’s household self-sustaining.

 

He said there was a move to help the local royals create revenue through tourism.

The Mercury

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