Controversial Afrikaner rights lobby group AfriForum is looking to partner with Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini to promote agriculture as well as in their shared opposition to proposals by the government to expropriate land without compensation.

AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel told TimesLIVE on Tuesday that the lobby group believed that there should be cooperation among communities at grass-roots level to promote agriculture to ensure food security in the country.

“We are looking forward to working with His Majesty the Zulu King and the Zulu people as we believe that there should be cooperation at grass-roots level based on mutual intervention and respect among communities‚” said Kriel‚ who was one of the guests at the king's 70th birthday in July.

He said there were many AfriForum members who had farming operations adjacent to land under the Ingonyama Trust and they were already assisting the king with a pilot project to assist emerging farmers with support and farming production.

“We have been helping the king with a pilot project. It’s still in the beginning phase and our members support progress where people want to farm and to build farming production in the area of the Ingonyama Trust‚” said Kriel.