AfriForum Using Zulu King to Fight Its Land Battle

Political analyst Protas Madlala believes AfriForum is using Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini to fight its land battle against the government.

“They perceive each other as victims of land expropriation without compensation with the king defending the Ingonyama (Trust) while the others are defending their farms.

“But if I was the king I would be very, very worried about being captured especially because AfriForum is very controversial (when it comes to) black people.

“In as much as he would want to meet everyone there are people you should not be seen with in public,” said Madlala.

Zwelithini, speaking at the commemoration of King Shaka celebrations on Sunday, urged people to vote against expropriation in the 2019 elections and announced a partnership with AfriForum.

The king warned of hunger if the government expropriated white owned farms.

“White people came to tell me that ‘we are ready to work with you’. The boers work tirelessly to feed the whole world.

“We (black people) don’t have money and jobs, which is why I welcomed those who have better ideas,” he said.

The king said Afrikaner farmers were hard workers “who don’t care to work under hot or rainy weather conditions”.

“But you are kicking them out of the land.

“The rainbow nation is kicking whites out of South Africa while overseas governments are inviting them over to their countries,” the king said.

AfriForum chief executive Kallie Kriel visited the Enyokeni Palace in Nongoma, Zululand, to discuss land with the king.

“The first relationship should start with agriculture as there is lot of land under the Ingonyama Trust that can be used for agriculture,” Kriel said yesterday.

The Zulu nation and its Afrikaner counterparts have a history of bloody wars fought over land in the 19 century, but Kriel said there is also a history of a good relationship between Afrikaners and King Dinizulu.

He said his visit to the palace was to create a relationship that “should not focus on our differences”.

“We would want co-operation with His Majesty by working on projects to uplift communities,” he said.

The talk at Enyokeni was aimed at building mutual respect “to get pilot projects running in the interest of the community”, Kriel said.

AfriForum and the king have a common battle, which is to defend their properties from the land reform process, Kriel said.

While the king fears the repeal of the Ingonyama Trust Act, AfriForum is opposing expropriation of white owned land without compensation.

“As long as there is an idea of expropriation without compensation nobody’s land is safe, even the Ingonyama Trust in not safe,” Kriel said.

Historian Professor Jabu-lani Maphalala said the land under the Ingonyama Trust Board was arid and not suitable for food production.

“The fertile land that was suitable for agriculture was seized from black people in 1886.

“I would like Kriel to tell me how land, which was declared unfit to be occupied by white people because of its non-arable nature, can now produce food.

“What can we produce on broken land?” asked Maphalala.