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The Zulu monarchy has, since its formation in 1816 under King Shaka, been a respected institution in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). It is deeply woven into the fabric of our province and ingrained in the lifestyle and culture of most KZN residents, isiZulu speaking or not.

It is therefore crucial that the provincial legislature enhance and protect the dignity of this tradition.

It is in this context that the DA in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) notes the recent announcements relating to a new palace to be built for King Misuzulu KaZwelithini on KZN’s North Coast, and the facilitation of financially autonomous Traditional Councils. The announcement comes as the overall cost of these projects is yet to be revealed.

The DA believes that the building of a new palace for the Zulu monarch presents a double-edged sword for KZN’s economy.

On the one hand, given its location within the North Coast economic and tourism hub it represents a unique opportunity for income generation. On the other, the project - which is yet another unfunded mandate for KZN - is set to place additional pressure on an already severely strained provincial economy.

The DA is of the view that given its significant and unique role in our province, the Zulu monarchy has the potential to generate its own revenue.

This concept is in step with initiatives envisaged by King Charles III to make the British monarchy sustainable. All properties held by the British Monarchy are held by the Crown Estates, a legal corporation owned by the monarch and provide 25% of their net income to the monarch. The rest goes to Treasury – aka the Finance Ministry - to be spent as needed for the benefit of the country.

This could be replicated in KZN with the Ingonyama Trust being converted into a business entity with the primary goal of making the Zulu monarchy sustainable. This would be achieved through bolstering agricultural and rural development, tourism and ultimately job creation and could be the game-changer that the DA has long-called for.

In this scenario, building a new palace could become a reality without any further funds being extracted from KZN’s non-existent coffers. In addition, the policy of financially autonomous Traditional Councils could also be realised through the profits from a commercially viable Ingonyama business entity.

The unfortunate reality is that unfunded mandates ultimately take money away from critical service delivery mandates areas such as local government, education, health and social development. KZN can ill-afford this. It is therefore critical that any wish-list items are properly planned for in terms of value for spend.

The DA will submit a written parliamentary question to KZN Premier Thami Ntuli, whose office will primarily fund these developments, to request information around the costs involved.

We will continue to monitor developments around the building of a new palace - and the funding of Traditional Councils- in order to ensure financial accountability and transparency while also offering solutions in the best interests of KZN’s people.

Issued by by Tim Brauteseth, MPL - DA KZN Spokesperson on Finance and SCOPA