King orders R5 Zulu tax
Call for donations for legal challenge
Zulu monarch King Goodwill Zwelithini has called on all Zulus to donate R5 each for the fight against the proposed dissolution of the Ingonyama Trust, which owns millions of hectares of land in KZN.
The king has also vowed that Zulus will never allow their land to be taken away from them and that they will be prepared to die for it.
“Land cannot be removed from the traditional leadership. In fact‚ the land is like the soul of the body of traditional leadership. We will never allow‚ not for one day‚ that we be killed by taking our soul.
“Just like Jerusalem is important to Israel and Palestine‚ and just like Mecca is important to the Muslims‚ the land under Ingonyama Trust is also important to us.”
His comments come after a high-level panel headed by former president Kgalema Motlanthe proposed the disbandment of the trust.
The National Assembly yesterday set in process a motion to amend the constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation.
Delivering a keynote address at the official opening of the fifth KwaZulu-Natal legislature at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg yesterday, Zwelithini said he would soon open accounts with SA’s four major banks as well as Capitec and Ithala as he implored all Zulus to contribute R5 or more for the fight for their land not to be taken away.
“Those who like their king or their land can donate even more. But what I am here to say as I am announcing this‚ is that vuka Zulu [rise Zulus].”
He said the issue of land must be resolved once and for all this year because if that was not done‚ “even Zulus from Germany or the US will come back and fight for their land”.
“But let’s not reach that stage‚” he said.
He was happy that the panel’s report was still going to be debated in parliament.
Zwelithini said he had mandated the Ingonyama Trust board to assemble a team of retired judges to tackle the issue of land on his behalf.
“For now‚ I am taking the legal route on this issue with the hope that those who want our land taken away follow the law. But following the law is not a sign of cowardice,” Zwelithini said.
Without mentioning former president Jacob Zuma by name‚ the king wondered if he was also part of the panel’s process. Zuma’s controversial R246-million Nkandla home is also on tribal land under the Ingonyama Trust.
The king said he had advised President Cyril Ramaphosa during his visit after the ANC’s elective conference in December to inform the party’s top six leaders about sensitivities around the land issue.
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