Royal battle over palace No 8
Community goes to court to resist Zulu monarch’s claim to their ancestral lands
A TINY rural community in KwaZulu-Natal is engaged in a David and Goliath battle against eviction from land where King Goodwill Zwelithini wants to build a new palace.
The palace — his eighth in the province — will cover 20ha on two farms near Ulundi that the Qangqatho community claim is theirs. It is designed by President Jacob Zuma’s Nkandla architect, Minenhle Makhanya.
After a 16-year battle their case has finally been referred to the Land Claims Court. Last weekend the villagers met to give the Legal Resources Centre detailed information needed to defend their claim.
They accuse the provincial heritage agency, Amafa, and the royal family of acting in cahoots and using underhand tactics to try to drive them off the land to create the Emakhosini Ophathe Heritage Park. King Zwelithini’s palace would be built on a portion of the park.
The park consists of 26 000ha of the Emakhosini valley near Ulundi, which contains the burial sites of early Zulu kings. The king opened the park in 2003. By then most of the valley’s inhabitants had moved out.
“Old women were given R10 000 in R10 notes to move,” said Zweli Mchunu, 55, chairman of the land claim committee. “They had never seen such a pile of money.”
Threats of introducing the big five, especially rhino, induced many to move. “These were dirty tricks, like under apartheid,” he said.
But 283 members of the Qangqatho community living on the farms Welgekozen and Heelgoed have refused to budge and have lodged land claims.
Barry Marshall, who was CEO of Amafa at the time, this week denied using underhand tactics ROOTS: Brothers Zwelabantu and Mloyi Khumalo show where they used to live on Welgekozen farm, where the Qangqatho community met, right, resolving to defend their claim to land King Goodwill Zwelithini wants for a palace to drive off the farm dwellers.
“I certainly didn’t authorise anybody to do that,” he said.
He claims residents were offered generous compensation.
But a senior government official involved in the case said the alternative land they’d been offered was unserviced, had poor grazing and uneven terrain.
“They didn’t want to move because they’re not being offered anything better,” he said.
The proposed palace site includes portions of Welgekozen and Heelgoed, where some of the claimants were forcibly removed under apartheid.
It consists of nine large rondavels styled on traditional beehive huts surrounding the main residence onLL a 6.1ha fenced precinct. A further 5.3ha are set aside for guest accommodation and there is an 8.6ha grazing site for cattle.
The villagers say the king and members of his royal family have attacked them publicly on several occasions for bringing claims on the land.
Land activist Msizeni Magwaza said the claimants would not be intimidated by these attacks. “If they come with guns to force us to move, we will resist. They can shoot us if they want. We will die for this land.”
Plans to build the palace ground to a halt last year when recently axed premier Senzo Mchunu took steps to rein in the royals’ power and profligacy.
These included bringing the heritage agency under his direct control, turning the department of the royal household into a chief directorate in his office, and setting up an oversight unit to control spending on refurbishment of the king’s palaces.
This has led to speculation that tension between King Zwelithini and Senzo Mchunu, including those over his new palace, contributed to his removal last month. Mchunu declined to comment this week.
King Zwelithini’s spokesman, Prince Thulani Zulu, said the project had been temporarily shelved but could not explain why. “The king said it’s on hold,” he said.
He denied that the king or members of his family had made belligerent remarks about the land claimants.
But villagers fear that with Senzo Mchunu gone, the king will redouble his efforts to build the palace despite their land claim.
King Zwelithini’s adviser, Judge Jerome Ngwenya, said: “My understanding is they are very keen to proceed [with building the palace]. Some of the princes are leading that project with private investors.”
They are likely to encounter stiff resistance from the land claimants.
“I was born here. That’s where my umbilical cord was buried,” said 78-year-old Mloyi Khumalo at the site of the proposed palace.
“That was the kraal for my cattle,” he said, pointing to the stone ruins of a livestock enclosure 20m away.
“I don’t think it’s fair that the king gets this place,” said his brother, Zwelabantu Khumalo.
Amafa previously has told the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform it opposed the land claims. It confirmed this week it would participate in the case but hadn’t filed opposing papers yet.
LRC lawyer Thabiso Mbhense said he expected to file detailed information about the claimants in court later this month.
Old women were given R10 000 in R10 notes to move. They had never seen such a pile of money If they come with guns to force us to move, we will resist
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