The R800 000 car donation given to MKP leader in the KwaZulu-Natal Legislative Assembly, Inkosi Phathisizwe Chiliza, has caused controversy.
The KwaZulu-Natal DA says it was not appropriate for the king to benefit from the car program run by the Department of Co-operative Governance and Indigenous Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal, because he is a member of the Legislative Assembly and it is a position that earns an estimated R1.4 million a year.
The leader of DA KwaZulu-Natal, Mr. Sithembiso Ngema, said there are chances that the king will break the law by accepting the car.
Ngema said the law does not allow government officials to hold two positions.
“The law makes it clear that a person who holds two or more positions in the government earns one position which is the one that pays the most.”
The king was part of the 35 kings who benefited from cars this week. The king was not present when the cars were released but his car was received by His Highness Noluthando Chiliza.
Ngema said that what surprised him the most was that MKP had been criticizing this car plan.
“This thing clearly shows that MKP people care about people, they only think about themselves. They have been criticizing the Ministry’s plan but the king sent the head of state to accept the car. He should have set a good example, he refused the car. He should have ordered that the money used to buy the car should not be used to put water in, and to repair the roads in the Zululand region.”
Ngema said at least the king should donate this car to a non-profit organization.
“Not all kings have received cars. The king had the courage to be one of the first kings to receive cars. There are many kings who have not yet received cars.”
The Speaker of the MKP in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Bonginkosi Mngadi, said that they have never criticized the program of giving the chiefs work resources.
Mngadi said that what they complained about was the system followed when the first 30 cars were bought.
“This is the nonsense the DA is talking about. We complained that the department did not follow the rules when the first cars were bought as it did not report to the Legislature that it was going to buy cars. We wrote to the department wanting to know why it bought 30 cars when there are about 300 kings. The department explained that the program will be done in stages. What should we fight for when the department has explained?”
Mngadi said that no law was broken by the king.
Mngadi revealed that the sparrow who accepted the car is the one who holds the throne.
“The king is busy here in the Legislative Assembly, a sparrow is holding the seat. That’s why it was a sparrow who accepted the car.”
The king’s cars program started in March where 30 kings benefited. The launch of the program caused a stir as some of the chiefs accused Buthelezi of choosing a cockroach.
The unhappy lords wrote to the chairman of the parliamentary committee in charge of the department’s operations, Dr Zweli Mkhize, asking for an investigation into the system followed by the department in identifying the benefiting lords.
The department said it will continue with this program, and promised that it will eventually benefit all the 300 chiefs of KwaZulu-Natal.