Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini has threatened to deploy amabutho (regimental warriors) and hostel dwellers to block an upcoming rural investment conference in Durban, claiming the organisers lacked the authority to convene traditional leaders without his approval.
The event at the centre of the dispute is the Rural Economy Development and Investment Indaba, scheduled for September 30 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre in Durban. It was organised by the Ingonyama Trust Board, which has invited traditional leaders (amakhosi) from across the province.
Speaking at the provincial Heritage Day celebrations in uMlazi, south of Durban on Thursday, the king again expressed his anger at the board for organising the event and inviting traditional leaders without his knowledge and approval.
At the centre of the dispute is whether the board can make decisions without the monarch, who is the sole trustee of the Ingonyama Trust and chairperson of the board by virtue of being king.
“I say every man must have his stick in his hand and get ready. There are meetings that are being organised here in eThekwini without us. This must stop and I will organise hostel dwellers to go and block this meeting,” the king said.
Asked for clarity on the king’s comments, royal spokesperson Mpikayise Buthelezi said that the king is very angry at what the Board is doing because he is a chairperson but the board is taking decisions without him.
However he said the king has not formally asked amabutho to go and block the conference, saying the king had been expressing his disapproval.
“As the commander-in-chief of us as amabutho, His Majesty has not yet formally announced that we must go to the conference to picket, however, you can see that he is very angry,” Buthelezi said.
This follows public criticism leveled by the king two weeks ago at the annual Reed Dance ceremony, where he accused the board of allocating R14 million toward the Durban conference without his consent. At the time, he also questioned the board’s legal standing—noting it was operating with only four members—and confirmed plans to challenge the matter in court.
Ingonyama Trust Board spokesperson Simphiwe Mxakaza had not responded to the latest comments by the king by the time of publication. However, he previously disputed the king's figures, clarifying that the actual budget allocated for the indaba is R4 million, not R14 million.
Defending the gathering, Mxakaza emphasised that amakhosi are essential to the event, as the agenda centres directly on driving development and securing investment opportunities within their respective communities.
The dispute adds another layer to a complex legal battle surrounding the board. Following an attempt by the king to disband the board in 2024, Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development Mzwanele Nyhontso stepped in, asserting that statutory authority to dissolve the board rested strictly with his cabinet portfolio, not the monarchy.
When Minister Nyhontso subsequently moved to dissolve the board in March 2026 following a wave of member resignations, the Pietermaritzburg High Court set the decision aside. The court ruled that while the minister retains the power to remove individual members for cause, the statute does not permit the arbitrary dissolution of the entire accounting authority over quorum deficits. For its part, the board maintained that statutory regulations allow a quorum to be established at subsequent meetings to fill vacancies, pointing to executive delay by the ministry in finalising replacement appointments.
The king has since used public platforms, including the ceremonial opening of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, to lobby for legislative reform of the Ingonyama Trust Act.
He said he wanted direct control over the board, including the power to appoint and dissolve its members.
At the previous year’s investment indaba, the king sent the then Traditional Prime Minister, Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi, to inform traditional leaders that the gathering did not have his approval.
Some traditional leaders left the conference hall, while others remained.
willem.phungula@nationalmg.co.za