Durban - United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader General Bantu Holomisa has touched on the issue of the Ingonyama Trust land, following fears among some Zulu traditional leaders that the government could seize the 3 million hectares of land now that Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini has died.
However, Holomisa said that even if the government wanted to take over the land, South Africa had institutions of law that could be used to appeal the decision.
“The Zulu kingdom and the traditional leaders could still apply to the high court or the Constitutional Court to say our rights are being violated, so it won’t have an impact really, notwithstanding he was the mastermind behind the Ingonyama Trust, but that was not his personal glory but for the Zulu people.
“That’s what they negotiated at Codesa, so if other people didn’t negotiate for such, you can’t blame them,” Holomisa said.
Reminiscing on the times he shared with His Majesty, Holomisa said that his enduring memory of him was of being an open and no-nonsense individual who ensured his people were progressing.
“It’s a pity that we are here because of this tragedy, but I’ve been to a number of his houses here since 1989 and we developed a kind of a special relationship where he would normally task me to do some job.
“One of the major works he has ever tasked me with was to look after his brothers, cousins, when the violence in the ’90s’escalated in this area. So, he requested that we must look after his people, and we did protect them for six months to a year.”
Political Bureau