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Ingonyama Trust ordered to explain rental income

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Although steps have been taken to place on hold the Ingonyama Trust’s land grab, King Goodwill Zwelithini has made blood-curdling threats against those who challenge the trust’s claims to ownership of the land. Picture: Tebogo Letsie
Although steps have been taken to place on hold the Ingonyama Trust’s land grab, King Goodwill Zwelithini has made blood-curdling threats against those who challenge the trust’s claims to ownership of the land. Picture: Tebogo Letsie

Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini’s Ingonyama Trust, which owns one-third of KwaZulu-Natal’s inhabitable land, collected R118.4 million in rental income from inhabitants over the past financial year.

This was an increase of 19% on the previous year, according to the trust’s annual report, which was submitted to Parliament’s portfolio committee on rural development and land reform.

The committee ordered the trust to return to Parliament with comprehensive reports on how rental income had been used to benefit the occupants of the land over the past five years.

In a report attached to the annual report, the Auditor-General also expressed concerns about the reliability of the trust’s financial statements, adding that its control board had not reported fully on assets worth R24.4 billion.

Expenditure of R320 million on municipal taxes had also not been reflected, while irregular expenditure of R1.9 million, left unexplained in the financial statements, had not been investigated.

Judge Jerome Ngwenya, chairperson of the trust, however, said it was under no obligation to report on anything over and above the approximately R20 million it received from government for administrative costs every year.

He argued that the trust was managed according to the regulations in the Ingonyama Trust Act.

The trust was established in 1994 to administer 2.8 million hectares of land that had previously fallen under the jurisdiction of the former KwaZulu homeland, on behalf of the king.

Two panels – the land reform panel appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and the high-level panel headed by former president Kgalema Motlanthe – have both previously recommended that the trust be disbanded.

This prompted outrage from King Zwelithini, who said it appeared that government was preparing to expropriate the land without compensation.

Before his presentation to the portfolio committee last Monday, Ngwenya said the Ingonyama Trust was ready to have a conversation with government about these issues.

In July, Ramaphosa said senior ministers would be holding discussions with the trust and other roleplayers about its future.

These have not yet taken place.


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