Durban — Security has been tightened at the head office of Ingonyama Trust in Pietermaritzburg following the confusion over which legal structure - King Misuzulu kaZwelithini’s lawyers or the Board - now run the Trust’s affairs.
Last year King Misuzulu announced the sacking of the entire board other than Dr Thandiwe Dlamini who now appears to be running the Trust. The suspension extended to the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, pending a forensic investigation.
The king also appointed Van Rensburg Kruger Rakwena Attorneys to manage the affairs of the Trust in the absence of the board.
Misuzulu accused the board of financial mismanagement and had appointed the law firm to institute a forensic investigation spanning the past five years. However, Land Reform Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso nullified the king’s decision, reminding him that it was him (Nyhontso) and not the king who had powers to suspend the board. The Minister also nullified the appointment of the law firm to investigate the Trust, stating that decision must be taken by the board.
There was a drama on Monday morning at the Trust’s offices when a female employee was barred from entering the premises after she told security guards that she would not give permission for her car to be searched.
Security guards and the employee then got into an argument with the latter saying that no one from the Trust’s management had informed her that searches of vehicles was now part of the protocol.
The security guards called their supervisor who explained to the employee that security guards had received an instruction that all cars entering the Trust premises must be searched.
Dlamini said that the king's legal team had instructed security guards on Friday to search and bar suspended officials from entering the offices.
"When the board received an email from the king notifying it about the appointment of a forensic investigator, all board members accepted the appointment and assured the king of their cooperation," Dlamini said.
The Trust’s spokesperson Simphiwe Mxhakaza said other than the employee whose car was not allowed into the office because she refused to be searched, the rest of the staff resumed their work. He said that no cars would be allowed access without being searched.
Mxhakaza said the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer were on leave but he would not say when they would return to work.