By Sihle Mavuso
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) is facing backlash after handing brand new, taxpayer-funded high-end vehicles to traditional leaders.
Cogta MEC, the IFP’s Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi, unveiled the vehicles – Ford Territory SUVs and GWM P-series double cab bakkies – last week in Ulundi, the traditional capital of the Zulu kingdom, during the official opening of the Provincial House of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders.
The Ford Territory SUVs retail at about R594,500 to R734,000 per unit, while the GWM P300 double-cab bakkies retail at about R529,900 to R699,900 per unit, depending on the derivative.
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The Umkhonto Wesizwe Party’s Royalty Traditional Leadership Council (MKPRTLC), said that while it welcomed Buthelezi supplying traditional leaders with trade tools, the exclusion of some traditional leaders was a “travesty”.
“We congratulate those Amakhosi who received vehicles as a tool of [the] trade, but we are compelled to sound the alarm on the MEC’s conduct. His action is a travesty, a betrayal of the trust [placed] in him by the people. He has…politicised the allocation of these vehicles,” the MKPRTLC said.
“The exclusion of Inkosi Ntshangase, the Local House Chairperson of Zululand District, is a glaring example of this malfeasance. Inkosi Ntshangase was denied a vehicle simply because he dared to contest against Prince Mangosuthu, the founder of Inkatha Freedom Party, in the Zululand Local House of Traditional Leadership election,” it said.
“This is a clear case of reprisal, and we will not stand idly by. We, as MKPRTLC, view this is a deliberate attempt to divide and rule, a tactic reminiscent of the apartheid regime. The MEC’s action(s) are a throwback to the dark days of oppression, when Amakhosi were used as puppets to further the interests of the colonial masters,” it said.
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The Democratic Alliance (DA), which is a provincial unity government partner alongside the IFP, said the issue was not whether traditional leaders should be supported, but whether the process was transparent, properly budgeted, and fair.
The DA said it had submitted formal written parliamentary questions to Buthelezi after the handover.
“The DA recognises and respects the important role played by Amakhosi and traditional leadership in KZN and this is not a question of opposing support for traditional leaders. Instead, it is a question of ensuring that any support provided by the provincial government has been transparent, properly budgeted for, fair in its allocation, and sustainable over time, said Marlaine Nair, the DA’s Cogta spokesperson in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature,
“As a responsible party within KZN’s Government of Provincial Unity, the DA firmly believes that programmes funded from the public purse must be clearly explained to the people of our province. They are entitled to know which traditional councils have received vehicles, how many were allocated, what they cost, whether they remain state assets, and who will carry the ongoing burden of fuel, insurance and maintenance,” Nair said.
She said that Buthelezi should also clarify whether or not the vehicles will create tax liability “either as a donation if ownership is transferred, or as a taxable benefit if they remain state-owned but are provided for private use”.
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“Equally important is clarity on what budget adjustments were made to fund these purchases, the criteria that informed the choice of vehicle, and whether this programme is affordable in the current fiscal climate,” she added.
At the event, KZN COGTA described the handover as “historic”, saying it was intended to ensure that the traditional leadership institution in the province was empowered and capacitated.