Pietermaritzburg | Tuesday
NO records were available to indicate how the money allocated for the upkeep of King Goodwill Zwelithini’s three farms had been spent, the head of KwaZulu-Natal’s royal household department said on Tuesday.
Bhekukwenza Gumbi was answering questions in the Pietermaritzburg legislature’s finance portfolio committee on the R18-million budget for the royal household for the 2002/03 financial year.
It was decided last year that a farm manager should be appointed to try to make the farms economically viable. No manager has been appointed to date.
An amount of R1,6-million was spent in the past financial year and the same amount was provided this year as part of a three-year programme to make the farms independent of subsidies.
Gumbi said since he took up his position 20 months ago he has been unable to find any financial records in the king’s Nongoma office for these farms, despite requests in this regard.
”I don’t think there are any records available. There are also no records for any income from these farms,” he said.
He was still investigating the matter. The provincial auditor-general has also queried the lack of records.
Gumbi said a number of applicants were interviewed last year to find a farm manager, but a decision has not yet been made.
Gumbi said the ”lack of realisation” in his department could be blamed on the fact that it was still a new department.
”For the past 20 months this department did not have offices of its own. The staff members have been squatting. I, as the head of the department, have never had a resident office even our furniture is borrowed from the premier’s office.”
The lack of transport, office accommodation, office furniture and insufficient funds had to be resolved as a matter of urgency to improve the department’s productivity.
The department has also failed to implement policies regarding the salary benefits and privileges of the king, which is used as a guide to provide services for the royal household.
Premier Lionel Mtshali, who is the MEC responsible for the royal household department, is expected to address the above issues during the coming budget debate on the department in April, his spokesman Mahlathi Thembe said.
Gumbi said the department had overspent in the last financial year and this had led to a limit on the cellular phone calls of all members in the department as well as the king, in February and March this year. He did not elaborate on the overspending.
A limit of R4 000 was placed on the king’s calls. Gumbi denied that Zwelithini’s cellphone was disconnected because of this.
Last week it was reported that the king could not make a phone call during a function attended by Deputy President Jacob Zuma, allegedly because of the limit.
This has led to criticism that the king was being treated with disrespect.
Gumbi said the limit would be lifted at the start of the new financial year.
The department is responsible for the upkeep of nine complexes belonging to the king. Fifty five percent of the department’s budget will go towards the salaries of the 197 staff members, including 38 farm workers. The king’s annual salary of just under R350 000 is included in the budget. – Sapa