The Pietermaritzburg High Court has dealt a blow to King Misuzulu kaZwelithini following an interim order halting his attempt to take over the control of the Ingonyama Trust Board's finances. The board filed an urgent application to halt the takeover. The king has until June 4, 2026 to show cause why the interim order should not be made permanent.
Image: SIPHAMANDLA MBHELE
The Pietermaritzburg High Court in KwaZulu-Natal has dealt a blow to King Misuzulu kaZwelithini's attempt to take control of the Ingonyama Trust's finances, issuing an interim order on Wednesday that freezes any changes to the trust's banking arrangements.
The ruling, delivered by Acting Judge Marion, comes after the Ingonyama Trust and its Board (ITB) launched an urgent application against First National Bank (FNB) and the Zulu King.
The legal battle centres on a letter of instruction sent by King Misuzulu to FNB on March 13, 2026.
While the specific contents of the letter were not detailed in the order, the court’s decision to interdict the bank from "giving effect" to it suggests an attempt by the monarch to alter who manages or accesses the trust's multi-million rand accounts.
The court has now ordered that:
This ruling serves as a rule nisi, meaning it is an interim court order to maintain the status quo. The court has effectively paused the dispute to ensure the Trust can continue its operations without interference while the legal merits of the case are debated.
The Ingonyama Trust Board, which manages roughly 2.8 million hectares of land in KwaZulu-Natal, has long been at the centre of internal power struggles regarding its massive land holdings and the revenue they generate.
The Ingonyama Trust Board (ITB) members, chairperson Advocate Linda Zama and the trust’s acting chief executive officer Siyamdumisa Vilakazi addressing the media in Pietermaritzburg on Friday last week in reaction to Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso disbanding the board. The matter of the disbandment is currently before court. On Wednesday, the PMB High Court halted King Misuzulu kaZwelithini's bid to take control of the ITB's finances in an interim order following the board's urgent application.
Image: Bongani Hans
The battle is far from over. The court has set a return date of June 4, 2026. On that day, King Misuzulu and FNB must justify why the interim interdict should not be made a final order of the court. Between now and the June's return court date, the ITB remains in charge of the trust’s financial affairs.
The Sunday Tribune understands that ITB staff had not been paid their salaries due to the bank account 's control fiasco. Last week the Land Reform and Rural Development Minister Mzwanele Nyhontso dissolved the ITB following a "governance crisis".
The ministry said in a statement that the decision followed the resignation of several board members before their terms had expired.
This left the Board with only four serving members, in addition to the King Misuzulu kaZwelithini, who serves as chairperson under the KwaZulu-Natal Ingonyama Trust Act. The ITB challenged the minister's decision to disband and that matter was underway in court at the time of publishing.