The Peace Deal: The Formation of the Ingonyama Trust and the IFP Decision to Join South Africa’s 1994 Elections

The territory once administered by the KwaZulu homeland, roughly 30 per cent of current province KwaZulu-Natal, belongs to Ingonyama Trust. After South Africa’s first democratic elections 26–28 April 1994, other nine homelands were integrated into a unitary state. land they came under authority national government. was only exception. How did 2.8 million hectares end up in trust with Zulu king as sole trustee? This article returns tense political standoff before reconstruct informal negotiations that resulted Inkatha Freedom Party’s (IFP) decision join and transfer king. peace deal emerged from brief reanimation an old working partnership between Pretoria traditional authorities KwaZulu, based on confluence interests among National Party conservatives IFP moderates. Ultimately, decided participate without federalist guarantees it demanded. Instead, inducement for who formed backbone administration. Based extensive interviews archival research, this excavates Trust’s role breaking seemingly unsolvable deadlock.