Share

'Ingonyama Trust's land not under threat, it's a power play', says land researcher

President Cyril Ramaphosa "bending the knee" to Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini is not surprising and has to do with mining rights.

This is according to Dr Aninka Claassens, a senior researcher at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) department of public law, who was speaking on Thursday at the University of the Free State (UFS).

Claassens, who has been working in rural communities resisting forced evictions since the 1980s, was one of the participants in the UFS’ inaugural Thought-Leader series. It focused on land reform against the backdrop of the current national debate about expropriation without compensation.

She also served on a high-level panel appointed by Parliament to review legislation on land reform.

This high-level panel, which was chaired by former president Kgalema Motlanthe, recommended that the Ingonyama Act, that was enacted just before the democratic elections in 1994, be repealed.

Ever since the release of the report veiled threats of violence and secession has been forthcoming from King Goodwill Zwelithini, who is the trust’s sole trustee.

'Wonderful meeting' 

Last week, Ramaphosa skipped a community meeting in Chatsworth to rather go to Ulundi to meet King Zwelithini. The president said he assured the king in a "wonderful meeting" that neither the government nor the ANC had any intention of taking land from the Ingonyama Trust.

READ: Ramaphosa tells Zulu King Zwelithini that land in Ingonyama Trust is safe

Communal land came under the spotlight at the UFC event and was robustly discussed.

Claassens was of the view that there is no threat to land that is being administered by the trust and the real issue is that the Motlanthe-led panel dared to criticise the Ingonyama Trust.

She pointed out that their recommendation about the Ingonyama Trust was only one of several recommendations.

The trust leased out land on which people have had houses and fields. It is bound by law to report to the department of rural development and land reform and Parliament.

In March, Parliament instructed the trust to stop the leasing of land, to no avail.

"The trust is relying on the President’s statement to ensure that all forms of oversight will stop," she said.

"What is really happening in KwaZulu-Natal is the most simple form of rent-seeking," she said.

"The trust is commodifying land people lived on for years," said Claassens, adding that it entrenches structural inequality.

'Benefits or mining' 

She said multinational mining companies are involved. 

"In that context, him (Ramaphosa) bending the knee to the king is not surprising, it has to do with mining and the benefits of mining," she explained. "And tragically, that mining boom is dispossessing black people."

She said politicians set up rent-seeking mechanisms based on the same structures as colonialism.

Professor Lungisile Ntsebeza, holder of the AC Jordan Chair in African Studies at UCT, said the reserves established by colonial governments for indigenous people are still with us in South Africa today.

"We must find a way to do away with the Bantustan system," he said.

Professor Philippe Burger, acting dean of the faculty of economic and management sciences at UFS, said the Ingonyama Trust must be reformed.

However, he said he doesn’t see that happening, "particularly with an election coming up".

Burger said power needs to go from chiefs to the communities itself.

KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.

- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1189 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
30% - 1381 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2106 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
19.00
-0.3%
Rand - Pound
24.09
+0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.61
-0.1%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.37
+0.4%
Rand - Yen
0.13
+0.5%
Platinum
904.45
+0.2%
Palladium
999.75
-0.6%
Gold
2,153.10
-0.3%
Silver
24.91
-0.5%
Brent Crude
86.89
+1.8%
Top 40
65,887
-0.6%
All Share
72,097
-0.5%
Resource 10
53,271
-0.1%
Industrial 25
99,407
-1.1%
Financial 15
16,625
+0.0%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE