GOBHOLO RESIDENTS DIG TRENCH ON ROAD IN LAND DISPUTE

MBABANE – Furious!

This best describes the emotions of some residents of Gobholo area who dug a trench on the road leading to one of the residents’ home following an argument they had about a land issue yesterday. The community members, who involved men and women, were found digging the trench which was almost knee-high. They were seen further spilling water on the soil, which caused mud. According to Matewu Dlamini, an elder in the community, the issue emanated from that the community members had waited for officials from the District Commissioner (DC) officers to convene a meeting regarding the land issue.

Dlamini narrated that while the community members were waiting, Manqoba Sihlongonyane (who is the one community members dug a trench on the road to his home) had an altercation with one of the community members and threatened to beat and shoot them.  “This infuriated the community members, who already had issues with him regarding a piece of land he claims to be his own,” narrated Dlamini.  He added that it was then that he tried to calm the angry residents who wanted to attack Sihlongonyane. Dlamini said the residents seemed to have heeded his call for calmness.  However, he said before long, the infuriated residents fetched tools and started digging the trench.

Encroached

One community member alleged that the community found it rather odd that Sihlongonyane claimed to own the land only now, when he had allegedly encroached his way into the community a while back. According to the community member, Sihlongonyane engaged an elderly woman whom he claims was his grandmother, to seek shelter as he had just got a job in Mbabane. The resident further purported that Sihlongonyane was banished from Gobholo earlier in 2013 as he had no business there. The community member also claimed that Sihlongonyane was never announced at the umphakatsi nor did he ever seek residency as per custom on Eswatini Nation Land.

“For him to then insult us in this manner, we then decided to dig this trench to protect him from being harmed,” he said. When reached for comment, Sihlongonyane alleged that it was the community members who were conspiring against him over land he was bequeathed by his late grandmother.

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