Dispute over a crèche ownership
Residents accused Inkosi Zulu of chasing away a sponsor willing to fund extra classrooms for the crèche
UNCERTAINTY over the ownership of Sithuthukile Crèche in the Ndundulu Reserve has created tension between members of the community and the head of the Ntembeni Tribal Authority, Inkosi Thandazani Zulu.
Residents accused Inkosi Zulu of chasing away a sponsor willing to fund extra classrooms for the crèche.
Zulu, however, refutes the claim and said he has nothing to do with the crèche.
A crèche board member, Alfred Shange, claims that in June he approached the tribal council to introduce a sponsor who undertook to build two extra classrooms, do renovations and create a playground for the children.
‘We were surprised when Inkosi Zulu told us that the existing building belonged to him. This crèche was established before he became our traditional leader.
‘We acquired a permission to occupy document (PTO) from the Ingonyama Trust board in Ulundi in 1998, and that is when the crèche was built,’ said Shange.
He said it was a great disappointment when their sponsor abandoned the project because of Inkosi Zulu’s reaction.
‘They decided to go away and help others. We are not making any money out of this, but are simply helping the community.
‘The existing building can only accommodate 15 children, but we now have about 75 children. We desperately need more classrooms.
‘We have reported this matter to various institutions such as the Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs and the provincial Chairperson of Traditional Leadership, Inkosi Phathisizwe Chiliza, but are still waiting for their responses,’ Shange said.
Inkosi Chiliza said he referred the letter to his dispute resolution committee to investigate the allegations.
‘At this stage I am not in a position to comment on this matter, as the committee is still busy with its investigation. Once this is finalised, we will be able to respond clearly about the way forward.’
Inkosi Zulu said that it was not true that he claimed to be the owner of the crèche building.
‘The problem is that the land on which the crèche is built belongs to someone else. Shange is aware about that; he is just wasting our time. If he needs more clarity about the land, he is welcome to come to the Tribal Council meeting on Tuesday,’ said Zulu.
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