TRACTOR INVADES FIELDS AS... LIQOQO CHAIR’S SYMPATHISERS DESTROY FAMILY’S CROPS

MAPHALALENI – A group of people sympathising with Paul Dlamini, the former Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and current Chairman of Liqoqo, destroyed crops planted by a family on land he claims ownership.

The men, believing to be fighting Dlamini’s ‘wars’ against a Masilela family over the fields, are said to have driven a tractor to the field, measuring a hectare and destroyed what the family had already planted, which included maize and taro (emathapha).  Emathapha are a major commercial business for the family. The family services clients at Ngwenya, Mbabane and other areas. The Masilela family of Magangeni told Eswatini News that they were left shell-shocked when the tractor invaded the fields unexpectedly, with men hurling expletives and forcing the Sicelo Masilela, the head, to flee for safety.

Grappling

The family faced the devastating incident that has left them grappling with the consequences of a land dispute. The family planted crops on land, which Dlamini, the Chairman of Liqoqo, claims ownership. Liqoqo is an advisory council to His Majesty the King.  It advises the King on customary matters connected with, among other things, selection of tikhulu (chiefs), boundaries of chiefdoms. The council can offer advice on any other matter the King may assign to them. It must be made clear that the King is not involved in the issue involving the chairman of his advisory council. Narrating the ordeal, the Masilela family members said the day began like any other, until they were confronted with a chaotic scene that eventually destroyed their food.

When they saw the tractor moving towards the fields, the name ‘Paul’ crossed their mind. Onboard the tractor, they said, were men armed with some objects. It just destroyed crops, including knee-high maize, emathapha and banana trees. This incident is symbolic of the broader issues of land disputes on Eswatini Nation Land (ENL), a topic that invokes deep emotions and concerns among local residents. It must be said that the Masilela family, comprising Sicelo Masilela, his wife Fikile and their seven children, has lived in this area for 20 years. Farming is their primary source of sustenance, complemented by their ownership of a small herd of cattle and goats.

Damage

As they assessed the damage caused by the tractor, the emotional toll of the destruction became evident. “We arrived in this area in 2004 and were given the land by the Nsingweni Umphakatsi. A cow was paid for kuboshwa kwelifindvo (confirming ownership of the land). Today, they buried our food with the tractor. We sell some of the produce and have emathapha customers in Ngwenya, Mbabane and Manzini,” the wife of Masilela, Fikile Bulunga who was almost in tears said.

According to Fikile, this cultural practice underscores the family’s connection to the land and their reliance on its produce for sustenance and education for their children. Fikile expressed her despair over the loss, stating: “They buried our food with the tractor. This is the very same food we use to send our children to school with as we sell some of it.”  Her words highlight the critical role that their agricultural produce plays in their daily lives. The incident was promptly reported to the police, who arrived at the scene to document the damage. Officers from the Forensics Unit were seen taking photographs, but according to Fikile, the police indicated that the matter was beyond their jurisdiction and required the attention of higher authorities.
This response has left the Masilela family feeling unsupported in their plight. “The police said it was beyond them and it needed the attention of their superiors. They only took pictures and left.”

Mastermind

According to Fikile, Paul, could be the mastermind because he claims ownership of the land. She claimed they also reported the ex-DPM to Chief Maloyi Dlamini’s authority.  “This disregard for traditional governance structures raises questions about accountability and the rule of law. If Dlamini (Paul) respected the royal kraal like responding to its summons, a solution should have been found by now and not this inhumane burying of my children’s food,” she continued.  Contacted for comment, the ex-DPM referred enquires to his brother, who said the disputed land belongs to Paul. He said the land dispute started around 2015. He alleged that Masilela, who is contesting ownership of the land, also destroyed Paul’s crops sometime ago and has continuously disregarded summons from the current Chief, Maloyi Dlamini.

He explained that Paul inherited the land from his father Khibili. Malindane said, over the years, the land lied idle because his brother was working in the Shiselweni Region, where he was a regional administrator. He told Eswatini News that the Masilelas had no right to khonta (asking for land from traditional structures) as the area has been without a chief for many years. “The area only got to have a chief in 2011 and according to our records; Masilela continuously disobeyed traditional leaders of the area when warned that the land belongs to Paul. As it is, Paul wants to rebuild his father’s home but Masilela has unlawfully extended his fence to the land belonging to the Dlaminis,” the elder Dlamini said.

Malindane continued to say that the matter has previously gone through the court process after Masilela destroyed the new fence erected by Paul. He alleged that the Mliba National Court president ruled that Masilela should reinstall the fence that they removed, something which he has not done. He also mentioned that he has been evading arrest for failure to re-erect the fence. Mliba Court President Prince Mashila said, in his knowledge, Masilela was sentenced to one-year imprisonment with an option of a fine. The court president he was also instructed to re-erect the Liqoqo chairman’s fence that he destroyed. “The court made a ruling in this matter as Masilela was fined for destroying fence,” the court president said.

Fine

He said the court further instructed the accused to re-erect the fence as he pleaded that the damage was done by his children. According to the court president, he never heeded the court’s instruction as he was told that he went on to destroy emathapha (taro) belonging to Paul. This, he did, after paying the fine. Prince Mashila said Paul opened another case related to the destruction of emathapha in his fields. The president said they wanted Masilela back in court to explain why he defied the order to re-erect the fence. It is understood that Masilela’s land dispute with Paul emanates from his extension of his boundaries to the ex-DPM’s premises.

Masilela’s land ownership has also come under scrutiny at the Nsingweni Umphakatsi, as he allegedly khontaed at a time when the area had no chief. Chief Maloyi was only installed in 2011, while the family settled at Magangeni in 2004 when there was no head of the Nsingweni Royal Kraal. Eswatini News visited the place on Wednesday. Concerning the summons that Fikile alleges Paul disregarded, Malindane said he might not be sure if his brother disregarded those summons from the royal kraal. In his recollections, he said Paul met the the inner council over the same matter.

Juxtaposing this case with what is happening in neighbouring South Africa has revealed that land disputes in that country often arise from the legacy of apartheid, where land ownership was historically skewed along racial lines. The government has implemented land reform policies aimed at redistributing land to previously disadvantaged communities. The process, however, has challenges, including administrative delays, legal battles and occasional violence. One notable case is the Restitution of Land Rights Act, which allows individuals or communities to claim land lost due to discriminatory laws.

However, the implementation of these reforms has faced criticism for being slow and inadequate, leading to ongoing tensions in rural areas. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said they do not have a record of the matter at the station. This is despite that police were found on the scene on Wednesday.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: