Latest news with #ZRHT
IOL News
24-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Transforming the Zulu Royal House Trust: Lessons from the Royal Bafokeng Nation
Pictured is Zulu King Misuzulu kaZwelithini. The KwaZulu-Natal Zulu Royal House Trust (ZRHT) will receive R86 million in the next financial year (FY) 2025 and 2026 from the Office of the Premier (OTP). Image: File Discussions are underway to model the KwaZulu-Natal Zulu Royal House Trust (ZRHT) to a self-sustaining revenue generator similar to the Royal Bafokeng Nation (RBN) in the North West Province. This was mentioned when KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli announced that the ZRHT will receive R86 million in the financial year (FY) 2025 and 2026 from the Office of the Premier (OTP) budget of R817 million. The RBN is a Setswana-speaking traditional community and ethnic homeland in South Africa. Tim Brauteseth, MPL – DA KZN spokesperson on Finance and the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) said that money will ensure provision of administration, maintenance, and management of the assets of the ZRHT, including the Royal palaces and farms. Speaking at the KZN Legislature on Thursday, Brauteseth said the committee notes with grave concern the continuous failure by the ZRHT to implement fundraising. Brauteseth said the Trust was established mainly for this purpose. Brauteseth said all political parties in the Portfolio Committee speak in unison that vigorous oversight needs to be performed to ensure this happens. The committee requested timelines for this, and the appointment of a new Board of Trustees after operating for almost a year without a Board. 'A sum of R3.6 million was allocated to the Trust in 2018 with the sole purpose of investigating ways to make the Royal Household self-sustaining and indeed a source of its own revenue for the province. This investment has remained largely unrealised. Year after year this issue is raised and year after year excuses are made and little is done,' Brauteseth said. Brauteseth said the right team has not been assembled for this task. Brauteseth said this has to be an area of intense focus in the next year and the portfolio committee must be relentless in this pursuit. 'There are numerous monarchies and communities across the world who have decided to utilise their assets to ensure self-sustainability and assure their long-term future,' Brauteseth said. Brauteseth told the legislature that the RBN is a success story of a traditionally governed community that strategically leveraged its wealth from platinum mining to achieve sustainable social development and build a strong investment portfolio. 'Situated on one of the world's largest platinum reserves, the RBN transformed mining royalties into a diversified investment vehicle, Royal Bafokeng Holdings which funds social programs and community projects. This community-based investment approach has enabled them to improve living conditions, support education and healthcare, and build a strong institutional framework,' Brauteseth said. Brauteseth said RBN made strategic land acquisitions including through missionary intermediaries, to secure their resource rights and received significant royalties from mining companies, which are then invested through RBH. Brauteseth said that RBH has invested in community projects like the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, the Kgosi Leruo High-Performance Centre, and the Royal Bafokeng Institute. Brauteseth said the Royal Household must realise the potential of its assets for the benefit of not only the Monarchy but all of the citizens of KZN. Ntuli said they were in the process of reviewing the ZRHT act and appointing a new board. 'We will be doing a benchmarking visit to the Royal Bafokeng Nation once the board has been constituted. We have used it as one that we need to match with what is being practiced in our province. The Trust land can unearth equity and development returns for the communities that reside on Ingonyama Trust Land,' Ntuli said.
IOL News
24-04-2025
- Business
- IOL News
KZN Premier announces R86 million funding for Zulu Royal House Trust
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli stated that the KwaZulu-Natal Zulu Royal House Trust (ZRHT) will receive R86 million in the financial year (FY) 2025 and 2026 from the Office of the Premier (OTP) budget of R817 million. Image: Supplied The KwaZulu-Natal Zulu Royal House Trust (ZRHT) will receive R86 million in the financial year (FY) 2025 and 2026 from the Office of the Premier (OTP) budget of R817 million. This was revealed by KZN Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli who delivered his budget vote for the OTP on Thursday. Ntuli said the OTP has also embarked on developing a centralised Provincial Forensic Framework that will ensure that all Forensic Investigations Units in the Province are centralized under the KZN OTP. Ntuli said that currently, some departments have their own Forensic Units and this duplicates resources spent in the province while leading to a lack of objectivity in reporting. Ntuli said the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) outlined three key priorities: to drive inclusive economic growth and job creation to reduce poverty and tackle the high cost of living to build a capable, ethical and developmental state Ntuli said his vision was for KZN to take its place as a leading province, with its people exhibiting unmatched excellence and exemplary leadership The structures of the OTP and budget allocation include: Administration (R237 million); Institutional Development (R362 million) and Policy and Governance (R217 million). The OTP provides active support to the ZRHT. Ntuli said they will continue to explore medium-to long-term revenue-generating projects prioritising property development to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the Zulu Royal Family. 'The trust will consider public-private partnerships, but private-sector participation will be prioritised in raising funds for medium to long term. The trust will continue to explore opportunities in commercial farming and create partnerships with provincial entities specialising in agriculture. Ntuli said the planning and co-ordination of a fundraising event to celebrate Zulu cultural heritage is underway, and the event is expected to take place in the 2025/ 2026 FY. There will be a focus to strengthen the Premier's Coordinating Forum (PCF) as the uppermost Inter-Governmental Relations (IGR) structure of co-ordination of all spheres by the Premier. 'The Operation Mbo project will continue to be the priority area to ensure the speedy finalisation of disciplinary cases. This includes continuous deployment of a multi-disciplinary crack team, training interventions and constant monitoring and monthly reporting,' Ntuli said. Ntuli said the OTP will intensify the implementation of the results of the skills audit focusing on catalytic training programmes such as the digital skilling of public servants, as well as interventions to address gender disparities especially in management positions across all government departments. 'To bolster our efforts to position our province to be a smart province, enormous strides have been made in implementing key components of the provincial digital transformation strategy. A major milestone in this journey has been the automation of essential tools, such as Operation Sukuma Sakhe's case management system, household profiling and war room functionality audit, which has improved service delivery by streamlining case handling and response times,' Ntuli said. The Forensic Investigations and Integrity Management will receive R44 million. Ntuli said the OTP was committed to the fight against fraud and corruption and will embark on numerous initiatives to curb this plague. This will be done through an approved forensic investigations framework. 'There are plans to intensify collaboration with law enforcement agencies on matters under criminal investigation. Consistent liaison will be conducted to assess the progress of the top priority cases and criminal investigations within the province which emanate from provincial forensic investigations,' Ntuli said.
