Magudvulela ‘didn’t target Jennifer’

Chief Magudvulela Dlamini.

MATSAPHA – Chief  Magudvulela Dlamini  of Ludzibini under the Timphisini Inkhundla says he was not to blame for the former MP Jennifer Du Pont’s loss in the elections.

“It was the decision of the voters,” he said. “Magudvulela had nothing to do with her loss. I never influenced their decision by telling them not to vote for her because she was a widow. The king spoke passionately about electing credible people and it is my belief that the people heeded the king’s call and elected that person.”

He said this in an interview on Thursday.  Asked how he felt about du Pont’s loss, he said he would prefer not to say anything.  He was interviewed after du Pont’s failure to win the primary elections under Ludzibini Royal Kraal, which was won by Apton Ndlovu. Du Pont has since filed an application at the High Court, seeking that the chief should apologise and retract his statements. She also wants the primary elections under her chiefdom, Ludzibini, to start afresh.
The matter is pending in court.

The chief is alleged to have warned his subjects in a community meeting not to vote for people who would not help the country much.
He then explained to them what the duration for a woman in mourning in Swaziland was. He did not mention Du Pont’s name. However, the determined Du Pont construed his utterances to mean he was de-campaigning her.

In our interview, conducted before the former MP filed court papers, the chief said whatever he said at the meeting was not meant to influence his subjects against voting for Du Pont.
Dlamini said his statements were intended at correcting what he had observed among candidates who campaigned in the community.

The chief said people were using untruthful information to mislead potential voters, something that had the potential to cause chaos after the elections. He identified the issue of the Msahweni–Luve road as one example.

“I was speaking at that meeting after hearing that the situation was getting out of hand. I was preventing a situation where people would come and claim credit for the compensation of families affected by the construction of the road,” said Chief Magudvulela.
He said to his knowledge, the issue of the road was being handled by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport.  The chief said he never targeted Jennifer. “I had every right to stop those who were playing with people’s emotions,” he said.

“Ntuthuko Dlamini, Minister of Public Works and Transport, told me that the issue was being handled by other bodies. Residents of the area were the ones who said some people were moving around giving people free booze and I found that very strange. After hearing this, I found myself compelled to restore order in the community.”

‘My sin was losing a husband’

MBABANE – Jennifer du Pont, former Timphisini MP believes that her main sin in the area was to lose her husband.

Du Pont said in almost every meeting in the community, the issue of widows kept coming up. She is worried that she is now known only as a widow and not Mrs Shiba.  Like the chief, she was interviewed by the Times SUNDAY before the matter reached the High Court. Du Pont said she was currently consulting on a way forward. After that, she will talk about the issue.

She insisted that the statement made by the chief was understood by an average community member to mean that people should not vote for her. “My chief is free to say whatever he wants but I know that one day the truth shall come out. I never engaged in discussions on the road issue but the people of the area were the ones who went to a Manzini based lawyer about it.

The lawyer came to the area and held a meeting with the residents on how the road affected them,” said du Pont. Sipho Magagula, a resident of the area who was in the company of the ex-MP, said the chief’s utterances influenced the residents. Magagula said people from the countryside do not want to be seen to go against their chief.

“A number of people were so disappointed such that they decided to stay away during the primary elections. People in our community do not want to go against their chief on this issue.” Meanwhile, Simanga Mamba, a lawyer for families affected by the Msahweni-Luve road says Jennifer du Pont’s should not be dragged into the issue. Mamba said the people of the area approached his office way back before the electoral process started and it was strange that the chief wants to defend himself with the Msahweni-Luve road issue.

“I started working on their issue in November last year and some came to me in January,” he said. “I then decided to drive to their area to meet them so that they could sign some court documents for me. I felt it was a cost cutting measure to meet them at Ndlalambi because the people are many.

I do not have the exact amount but I felt getting to the area myself and see the kind of challenges was going to help strengthen our case.”At the moment, they are waiting for their day in court. Mamba was not willing to discuss the matter further, saying this could jeopardise their case in court.          

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