MALINDZA CHIEF’S BID TO FETCH CAMPING RESIDENTS FAILS

MBABANE – “We are going nowhere.”

This is the message that Malindza residents relayed to their Indvuna Sipho Dlamini yesterday, when he had come to plead with them to return to their homes. The residents said they would not move an inch until they got their compensation. The residents have been camping and spending nights outside the Sokhamlilo Building in the capital city, since last Thursday.
Today marks the sixth day since the residents made the entrance of the building their temporary home. Sokhamlilo Building is where Millennium Projects offices are housed. Millennium Projects was responsible for the construction of the King Mswati III International Airport at Sikhuphe. It was during the construction phase of the airport where blasting occurred in the nearby quarry mine, resulting in the damage to the residents’ houses.

Cracks

Some of the houses developed massive cracks. The residents have been camping at the entrance of the building, demanding their compensation. Yesterday, Malindza Indvuna Dlamini, arrived at Sokhamlilo Building to address the residents. He informed them that he had been sent by the community (Malindza) leader, Chief Ndlondlo Tsabedze, to ask them to return home. Dlamini said as his subjects, the chief was concerned about them staying in the wilderness. He said the chief was pleading with them to return home for the matter to be resolved amicably. Dlamini said the Millennium Projects officials would go to Malindza Umphakatsi on Thursday to address the residents there. However, the residents heard none of what the indvuna was saying. Instead, they told the indvuna (Dlamini) that they were not going anywhere until they received their money.

The residents continued to camp at the building, such that as a result, they spent yet another night there and this was the fifth night. It was gathered that in the afternoon, their Member of Parliament (MP), Dvokodvweni Constituency MP Mduduzi Magagula, arrived at the building and took two residents to the Ministry of Finance. Magagula confirmed having arrived at Sokhamlilo Building to meet with residents and further took the two residents to the Ministry of Finance. He said the intention to take the residents was to give them an insight of what was happening with their issue and how the processes of paying them was progressing in the ministry. The MP said indeed they met with officials at the Ministry of Finance, who showed them that indeed the matter was being processed and by the look of things, the residents might get their money in two weeks’ time.

Magagula said he then returned to the residents and informed them about the latest developments regarding the matter. He said he then left them to decide if they would continue staying at the entrance of the building or not because it was not his decision to make. In an interview with this publication on Sunday, the MP said E25 million had been set aside as compensation for the residents and that the money was likely to be paid in two weeks’ time.  Yesterday, the residents said they no longer trusted the MP as had been promising them that their money would be paid in two weeks’ time since last year.

Payment

They said to them, it was clear that there was something fishy with the payment of their money as someone would come and promise them that they would be paid at a certain date while someone else would tell them something different. At around 5:30pm, the residents said they were still not satisfied, hence they continued to camp at Sokhamlilo Building. They said abandoning their mission without having received their compensation might give government an opportunity to further delay their payment. They said it was for that reason they would stay put until they received what rightfully belonged to them. The residents said they were even ready to spend the Easter holidays at the building as long as they had not received their money. The Easter holidays start this Friday.

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