Traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal have expressed strong support for King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s efforts to assume greater authority over the Ingonyama Trust Board, as discussions around proposed legal reforms gather momentum.
A panel of legal and cultural experts appointed by the King is preparing to engage with 13 political parties in Parliament next week, in a bid to push for amendments to the Ingonyama Trust Act.
The proposed changes seek to transfer the power to appoint and remove board members from the government—currently held by the Minister of Land Reform, Mzwanele Nyhontso—to the Zulu monarch.
Traditional leaders reportedly met in Durban, where they unanimously backed the initiative and confirmed plans to accompany the delegation to Cape Town for the upcoming engagements with political stakeholders.
Earlier this year, King Misuzulu appointed retired judge Mjabuliseni Madondo and Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi to assist in drafting the proposed amendments. The delegation will be led by Thulasizwe Buthelezi, alongside a team of cultural, legal, and academic experts tasked with strengthening the proposal.
Meanwhile, the Ingonyama Trust Board remains operational after successfully challenging a previous attempt to dissolve it in court, ensuring the institution continues to manage communal land under its current mandate as the political and legal debate continues.
