R706 000 was spent on building a modern house for Inkosi Zungu of the Zungu traditional council.
The house was built because he couldn't occupy the same house occupied by his predecessor.
Reporting to Parliament on the its performance in the first three quarters of the 2012/13 financial year, the Ingonyama Trust Board, which manages 32% of all land in KwaZulu-Natal on behalf of the state for the benefit of its occupants, revealed that almost R706 000 was spent on building a modern house for Inkosi Zungu of the Zungu traditional council.
Chairperson of the board, judge Jerome Ngwenya, told the oversight committee on rural development and land reform that when Zungu took office, he needed a house because he was residing in a house where his late brother had resided.
Ngwenya said the younger brother was taking office and made a request (to the board) in 2010, which was supported by the clan and the traditional council.
He said it is customary that the successor to the title of traditional leader doesn't occupy the house his or her predecessor occupied. He or she needs to establish their homestead.
MPs across the political spectrum were shocked and questioned the sustainability of such an exercise.
'Waste of funds'
The Inkatha Freedom Party's Russel Nsikayezwe Cebekhulu, who acknowledged that according to the Zulu culture, a son doesn't reside in his father's house when succeeding, asked: "Are we going to see the Ingonyama Trust Board spending money building a house for successors to the throne.
"In my view it's a waste of funds which are meant for the development of a community rather than an individual. I have a problem with the money spent and the size of the house just for a leader who is there for a period of time until God calls him."
Another MP, the United Democratic Movement's Stanley Ntapane warned that the board had created a precedent that it would not be able to sustain.
"If you sustain it, you will have derailed your mission: to sustain the lives which fall under the trust. If the money they get from the government is not, that's another battle to be fought but don't spend money intended for the poor communities," he said.
More surprising were the remarks by ANC MPs, who have been quiet over the past months on the R206-million spent by the state on the upgrading of President Jacob Zuma's private home in Nkandla.
Sustainability
ANC MP Phumzile Ngwenya-Mabila wanted to know the wisdom of building a house every time a chief requested one. "Is there any value for money … [and] who supervised the project?" she asked.
She also wanted details about costing of the house and other such houses built for other chiefs. "Here we are talking about money, we need to be very careful," she added.
Another ANC MP, Phindisile Xaba, added: "In KwaZulu-Natal, we have so many chiefs and they are all under the Ingonyama Trust Board. Will all the chiefs be built houses? Will the board sustain this?"
But Chief Bhekizizwe Zulu, also of the ANC, didn't see anything amiss.
He insisted that it was the culture of "people from Africa" that when appointed to be a chief, the tribal authority must maintain you and a leader of a tribe would need suitable accommodation.
"We upgrade the standard of living. I can't say it's a bad idea what the Ingonyama Trust Board has done for that tribal authority.
"The critical issue here is that each and every chief cannot live in his father's property. The heir must have his own new residence," said Zulu.
Ngwenya agreed with the MPs that it would unsustainable for the board to build each chief a house.
Indigenous land titles
He said it is what has happened for centuries to people who live under indigenous land titles. "It is unwritten. It's oral and there's no economic value that has been attributed to this land." He said the board has now convinced financial institutions like Ithala bank to advance money for a traditional leader to build a homestead.
Ngwenya said there were three other chiefs who had requested that the board build them homes. He said in the Zungu case, they had taken into consideration the fact that the Zungu traditional council was one of four where the Zululand anthracite colliery was operating.
"Most of the income that the Ingonyama Trust Board derives from the Zululand anthracite colliery in the street sense should be used for the material benefit of these four councils in which it is operating.
"We are mindful that monies that are used for the assistance of the traditional leader are not higher than the whole amount available for the development or contribution towards that traditional council. We are satisfied with the Zungu traditional council that notwithstanding the R700 000 spent there remains adequate amount for community projects," said Ngwenya.
Committee chair Stone Sizani suggested that the board establishes a policy on how it assists the traditional council in terms of building houses.
"The policy must say what the nature of the assistance you provide is. It would help you a great deal if you had a standardised approach," said Sizani.