DURBAN– The KwaZulu-Natal government is setting up a beef production enterprise aimed at helping King Misuzulu kaZwelithini and the Zulu royal family become financially self-sustaining, potentially saving the province over R60 million in annual allocations.
This was made public by Dr Imran Keeka, the Democratic Alliance (DA) Chief Whip in the provincial legislature, during a reflection on the party’s role in the Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), which was formed a year ago.
Keeka said Finance MEC Francois Rodgers is leading efforts to establish the enterprise, which would allow the royal household to generate its own income. “The Treasury under Rodgers is working on establishing a beef production enterprise to ensure the monarchy’s fiscal independence,” he said.
The plan, if successful, would end a decades-long reliance on public funding by the Zulu monarchy. Since 1994, successive provincial governments have proposed the creation of a Royal Household Trust, envisioned as a financial vehicle for the monarchy, but none have fully materialised.
Prince Thulani Zulu, spokesperson for the royal family, said the family would respond once the MEC formally briefs His Majesty King Misuzulu on the details.
Rodgers has also been credited with implementing a cost-cutting strategy that slashed the province’s projected overspending from R10 billion to R800 million. That plan is already being rolled out.
The DA said its involvement in the GPU has helped reshape government priorities in KwaZulu-Natal, moving from single-party dominance to a more collaborative approach among the province’s four largest parties.
The party currently holds leadership roles in several key portfolios: Rodgers heads the Finance Department, Martin Meyer leads Public Works and Infrastructure, Mmabatho Tembe serves as Deputy Speaker, and DA members chair committees such as Health, COGTA, and SCOPA.
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