South Africa: King Misuzulu Picks Fired Ingonyama Chair to Fight Prime Minister

5 May 2026
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Celani Sikhakhane
  • Prime Minister Thulasizwe Buthelezi now wants the Ingonyama Trust Board to report to a government minister, angering King Misuzulu kaZwelithini.
  • Jerome Ngwenya returns as an adviser just after a court ordered him to pay back R30 million to the trust.

King Misuzulu kaZwelithini is fighting back against his own prime minister over control of the Ingonyama Trust.

The Zulu king has asked his fired board chairperson, Jerome Ngwenya, to advise him.

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The king wants Ngwenya to help him fight a new plan. Prime Minister Reverend Thulasizwe Buthelezi wants the board to report to the premier through national land reform minister, Mzwanele Nyhontso's office.

The king is unhappy with this plan. He turned to Ngwenya for a second opinion on how to handle matters about the trust.

Zanemvula Ndamase from the king's private office spoke to Scrolla.Africa on Monday. He said the king did not give Ngwenya an official job.

"His Majesty requested Ngwenya to advise him on a consultative basis on issues of the Ingonyama Trust Board," he said.

Ndamase said the king asked Ngwenya because he is the longest-serving chairperson of the board.

The king now wants Parliament to change the Ingonyama Trust Act. He wants to strip the minister of the power to appoint board members. He wants to be the only person who appoints the board.

Ngwenya's return comes right after a major court blow.

The Pietermaritzburg High Court ordered him to pay back R30 million.

The City of eThekwini paid the money for land under the Mkhize clan. The funds belonged to the Ingonyama Trust. Instead, the money went straight into the bank account of Ngwenya's lawyer.

King Misuzulu previously kicked Ngwenya off the board after they fought over how to run the trust. The king replaced him with Inkosi Thanduyise Mzimela. He later fired Mzimela too.

Read the original article on Scrolla.

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