By Celani Sikhakhane
- Ingonyama Trust deputy chair denies calling King Misuzulu a thug, says she was referring to his lawyers.
- King insists Trust land belongs to Zulu nation as tension grows with board over control.
Deputy chairperson Advocate Linda Zama at the Ingonyama Trust has denied calling King Misuzulu kaZwelithini a thug during a board meeting last year.
Zama said she was referring to the king’s lawyers, not the king himself, when she made the comment.
“I even read the documents they made His Majesty sign the power of attorney. I asked them what kind of lawyers write such documents and made their clients sign such?
“Remember, I am a lawyer, and I understand everything about the writing of legal documents, not that one that was signed by the King,” said Zama.
She said the board had problems reaching the king when they needed him as chairperson.
“Even the Office of the Premier told us that they can’t find him because his support staff have absconded from coming to work. What I like the most is that even the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee have witnessed some of the things we have been complaining about,” she said.
Last year, Zama was accused of disrespecting King Misuzulu when he wanted new lawyers for the Trust. She allegedly called them thugs and threw them out of the meeting.
She said the current board follows the law, unlike the previous board, which bent rules to give His Majesty what he wanted.
But at the opening of the KZN Legislature, King Misuzulu insisted the Trust land belongs to the Zulu nation, not the government.
“This is the only thing the Zulus managed to get after they fought the colonialism invasion, and they won’t allow anyone to take it away and give it to the politicians,” he said.
Pictured above: Ingonyama Trust CEO Advocate Vela Mngwengwe and the Deputy Chairperson of Ingonyama Trust Board Advocate Linda Zama during the media engagement this week
Image source: Ingonyama Trust
