R300m project to revamp Zulu king's palace stalled

A R300 million project to revamp King Goodwill Zwelithini's Enyokeni Palace has been put on ice indefinitely while Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa studies a forensic investigation on it.

Durban - A R300 million project to revamp King Goodwill Zwelithini's Enyokeni Palace has been put on ice indefinitely while Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa studies a forensic investigation on it.

The Enyokeni Cultural Precinct project, which the department announced in 2014, would include building sleeping quarters for thousands of maidens who attend the annual reed dance.

The department had planned to use the R300 million to turn the king's main palace into a state-of-the-art facility and the main tourist centre at Nongoma.

However, little construction has happened at the palace. So far there has been tarring of an access road to the main entrance, some fencing has been completed and renovation has taken place at the stadium where the Reed Dance is held.

At the weekend more than 30 000 maidens turned up at Nongoma for the annual ceremony in cold weather. They slept in tents and buses and had to wash in a nearby river or behind tents within sight of men. They also had to relieve themselves in the bush because of a shortage of toilets.

Department of Art and Culture spokeswoman Lisa Combrinck said on Wednesday that "due to the investigation, the project was paused".

Mthethwa had appointed Gobodo Forensics and Investigative Accounting to investigate the project.

"The chief state law adviser recommended a forensic investigation into irregular expenditure and the development of the cultural precincts. There were planning, budgeting, and project management concerns regarding the Enyokeni project."

She could not say when the project would resume.

Combrinck said the investigation was completed by January this year.

"The final forensic investigation report was issued and distributed internally to relevant business units within the Department of Arts and Culture in February 2016, to apply their minds with the view to implement the findings and recommendations."

For now, the findings were confidential.

"The department is unfortunately unable to share the Gobodo Forensics and Investigative Accounting report findings and recommendations at this stage, to avoid any potential prejudice that may be caused to the department until the remedial actions are concluded," she said.

Ingonyama Trust board chairman Judge Jerome Ngwenya had said in 2014 that the money would be used to build facilities for maidens who did not feel safe using the bush to relieve themselves and sleeping in tents.

Ngwenya had said the facility would be "bigger than any building in Durban" to accommodate more than 30 000 maidens.

The king's spokesman Thulani Zulu referred questions about the project to the department this week.

However, Nomagugu Ngobese, a leader of Nomkhubulwane, a cultural group that specialises in virginity testing in preparation for the Reed Dance, expressed outrage about the lack of sleeping facilities for the maidens.

"Our girls are still forced to bath in a river where previously there were people who were taking pictures of them naked, apparently for pornographic purposes.

"It seems there is no reward for young women who take care of themselves by avoiding sex before marriage, but there is a child grant for those who are misbehaving."

IFP national chairman Blessed Gwala said the department was being unfair to the king and the maidens.

"You can't start a project and then stop it because it would be costly. By the time they finish applying their minds, costs would even have doubled," he said.

DA provincial leader Zwakele Mncwango said the private sector should come on board.

"We cannot expect the government to pay for everything. The Reed Dance contributes to the wellbeing of South African society," he said.

Maidens sleep rough because of poor facilities at Reed Dance

On her arrival at Enyokeni Palace for the Reed Dance, Phindile Shozi had hoped to find better conditions for sleeping and bathing since the government had promised R300 million two years ago to revamp the palace for the maidens.

However, to her disappointment she spent another two sleepless nights in a bus while battling to protect herself from rainwater, which leaked on to her blanket through a window.

The 22-year-old was among a group of women who had travelled from uMlazi. Together with more than 30 000 other maidens, they braved the weather to present reeds to King Goodwill Zwelithini.

"We had hoped for better accommodation, but on arrival there was none. We had no space to sleep in as the tents were already packed.

"All 60 of us had to sleep in our bus. We slept while seated. It was raining, and water was coming in through a window."

Other young women had to sleep in minibus taxis. A number of white marquees were erected to accommodate the women, but they were insufficient.

Nonkanyiso Conco has been attending the event for 21 years. She booked accommodation in Vryheid.

However, she was concerned about the women who could not afford to pay for a comfortable bed.

"Previously I used to bath in a nearby river, but when I drove past that river it was dry. Toilets are something that needs real attention because the mobile toilets were disgusting," she said.

The Mercury