/ 30 May 2012

King Zwelithini and family get R4m budget boost

King Goodwill Zwelithini.
King Goodwill Zwelithini's passing provides a starting point for reflection on the role of senior royal women in Zulu history.
The Witness reported on its website on Wednesday that on presenting the department’s budget on Tuesday, premier Zweli Mkhize said R1.8-million of the new R59-million budget would not be available for spending because of unauthorised expenditure in the previous financial year.
 
Support services for the king, such as maintaining his cars, buying clothes for his queens, and paying his children’s school fees and his own monthly allowance will cost R35.278-million, less than the R39.489-million budgeted last year.
 
The department gets R20.484-million to refurbish and renovate the king’s palaces, while R3.6-million was made available to maintain his farms.
 
Mkhize said the king did much to promote South Africa, both locally and internationally.
 
He hosted dignitaries such as the Prince of Wales and, said Mkhize, and his “visionary leadership” included reviving cultural festivals and calling for male circumcision to lessen the transmission of HIV/Aids. – Sapa