Changes afoot at KZN land board
The Kwazulu-natal provincial government wants to overhaul the Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB), which includes members who have been in office for 15 years. The aim is to improve efficiency and better distribute the R90-million a year it earns in leases to traditional authorities.
The province has appointed an interministerial committee, consisting of the co-operative governance, human settlements and economic development MECS, to meet the board and King Goodwill Zwelithini.
The ITB administers 2.8-million hectares of land on behalf of the monarch, its sole trustee, who nominates the chairperson of the nine-member board. The other eight members are appointed by the minister of rural development and land reform. The current chair is Jerome Ngwenya.
The provincial Cabinet apparently received a memorandum, which the Mail & Guardian has seen, from the provincial co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) MEC Nomusa Dube-ncube.
Three sources with access to the Cabinet confirmed the appointment of the committee, which has been discreetly consulting the king.
“The matter has been on the Cabinet agenda for about three months after a two-year process,’’ said one source, who is not authorised to speak to the media. “After the Cogta memo a report was done by the premier’s office suggesting that the interministerial committee be set up to engage the monarch and the ITB leadership. That process is underway.”
The ITB is at the centre of a high court challenge by the Legal Resources Centre on behalf of residents of trust land and two nongovernmental organisations, who want the lease programme, introduced in 2005, halted, arguing it prejudices the tenure rights of residents, some of whom have lived there for decades.
The board has also come under fire from Parliament’s portfolio committee on land reform over the lucrative lease programme, and the failure to release revenue from mining rights to the National Revenue Fund.
The co-operative governance memo questions whether challenges to development were caused by the existence of the trust or “whether it is the policies and approach of these institutions (the trust and the board) that is posing the problem”.
The memo suggests “engagements with his majesty” and approaching the national ministry about the board’s composition to improve the alignment between the trust, its board and the province. It recommends a meeting with the king and the trust to discuss concerns and “reach agreement on a new approach”.
Thami Ngidi, spokesperson for Premier Willies Mchunu, declined to comment. Lennox Mabaso, spokesperson for Dube-ncube did not respond to calls, emails and SMSES.