BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – The farm dwellers who are living at Mabondzela are illegal.
This was said by Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo, when responding to the demands made by the residents, whose houses are said to have been demolished. The farm dwellers’ houses are said to be demolished to evict them from Farm No. 19 in Gege, in the Shiselweni Region. The farm dwellers delivered a petition at Gege Constituency Centre yesterday (May 15, 2024), demanding compensation, among other things.
In response, Government, through Spokesperson Nxumalo, gave its perspective on the matter. “By way of background, Government wishes to state that the residents of Mbondzela reside illegally on Farm No. 19, Shiselweni Region, which is owned by a company called Mahamba Gorge (Pty) Ltd under Deed of Transfer No. 426/2009. Mahamba Gorge (Pty) Ltd is owned by a family of Emaswati, who have no connections with any country or Government,” Nxumalo said.
According to Nxumalo, the owner of this farm has had many engagements with the residents, where the former informed the latter that he required the portion of the land that they occupied for development. However, the residents have consistently resisted the proposed development and have even become violent and damaged property while doing so.
The matter between the owner of the farm and the residents was heard by the District Farm Dwellers Tribunal, which ruled that the residents be evicted from the farm, according to Nxumalo. The residents appealed the decision of the District Farm Dwellers Tribunal to the Central Farm Dwellers Tribunal, which also ruled in favour of the owner of the farm.
The residents then appealed to the then Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, the late Peter Bhembe, who ruled in July 2020 that the parties must negotiate agreements. The parties failed to negotiate agreements because the residents rejected the terms thereof that were proposed by the owner of the farm. Instead, the residents have become violent while resisting eviction, according to the Government spokesperson.
“The residents then went back to the then Acting Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, Jabulani Mabuza (the current House of Assembly Speaker) last year to report that the owner of the farm was not complying with the ruling of the late Minister. The owner of the farm mentioned to the then Acting Minister that the people who are benefitting from his property are the squatters and not the owner who invested capital to purchase the farm. Minister Mabuza convened several meetings with the residents and the owner of the farm,” Nxumalo said.
Mabuza, according to Nxumalo, informed the residents that it was not in their best interest to live at the mercy of some person and encouraged them to look for alternative land so that they can live in peace. Minister Mabuza also asked the owner of the farm to offer some help to the residents so that they can resettle outside the farm. The owner of the farm did offer to assist the residents with construction of some structures for the residents on land allocated to them by the Umphakatsi of Mashobeni as well as to remove the graves of their family members. This was the last time that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy was seized with this matter.
According to Nxumalo, it is not uncommon, however, that when squatters reside on property that the owner requires to develop, the squatters resist to vacate and even begin to challenge the legal ownership. Notwithstanding this particular incident, Government wishes to highlight that the law frowns upon illegal occupation of private property.
“Farm dwellers and owners are both protected under the rule of law. We encourage citizens to show full respect and recognition of private property, whether it belongs to individuals or corporate citizens. Lack of respect for private property places the country in a bad light in terms of attracting investments for purposes of job creation and development. As a Nation, we must respect the rule of law at all times. No amount of noise will sway us from our Constitutional obligations,” Nxumalo concluded.
(Featured image sourced from Eswatini Newsroom)
