By Sihle Mavuso
An investment conference hosted by the Ingonyama Trust at the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) was temporarily halted on Wednesday after a group of Zulu regiments stormed the venue, singing that Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini was not aware of the gathering and questioning why his authority was being undermined.
The conference was convened by the trust to discuss investment plans for land it owns in traditional areas of KwaZulu-Natal.
The regiments stormed the conference shortly after 11am, forcing an adjournment. Proceedings resumed almost two hours later after a battalion of police monitoring a peaceful anti-gender-based violence protest by the March and March Movement in Durban city centre was hurriedly assembled and sent to the ICC to restore order.
King Misuzulu, who is the chairperson of the Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) and sole trustee, was not present and did not send a representative after recently expressing his disapproval of the trust’s actions.
Leaders of the regiments, Ngizwe Mchunu and Nkosikhona “Phakelumthakathi” Ndabandaba, said the King’s disapproval prompted them to storm the conference and demand answers about why it was proceeding without his consent and presence.
Ndabandaba said they had taken it upon themselves to act after King Misuzulu had, on three occasions, said the trust was disregarding his authority as chairperson of the board and sole trustee.
He said they later stepped back and apologised after realising that traditional leaders were also attending the conference and they did not want to be seen as disrespecting them.
“Actually, we acted very late. In reality, when the King speaks, men should leave the gathering at the same time and go and attend to the problem he has encountered. Then we felt that it can’t be right that the King is always complaining about the same thing and nothing was being done,” Ndabandaba said.
Mchunu echoed Ndabandaba, saying the trust was wrong to proceed with the conference against King Misuzulu’s wishes.
“We know that the King is the first king to be the chairperson of the Ingonyama Trust Board; that means that you cannot have a meeting without the presence of the chairperson and even take resolutions. You can’t bypass the King; our culture as Zulus demands that respect,” Mchunu said.
The trust’s acting chief financial officer, Sanele Mkhize, questioned the legitimacy of the regiments but said the trust did not intend to take action against them because they had since apologised for their conduct.
Mkhize also said the King was aware of the conference and had been duly invited, although Inside Politics could not independently verify this with the King’s Office at the time of publication.
“The King was aware of the conference; there was an invitation that was extended on time to the King’s Office and certain traditional leaders who are in contact with the Traditional Prime Minister. They were invited, and they were aware of the conference,” Mkhize said.
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