LOBAMBA – Failure to finalise land laws and clarify farm boundaries is hardening the resolve of citizens and driving some to take the law into their own hands, Gege MP Magesi Dlamini has warned Parliament.
Contribution to the debate on farm dwellers, land tenure and residential demolitions, the MP highlighted that the lack of legal clarity on farm settlements is creating intense social friction between residents, traditional authorities and property owners across Eswatini.
He expressed deep concern over the pattern of residential demolitions, pointing out that families spend significant resources over long periods to build permanent homes, often without being warned during construction, only for farm owners to arrive later with law enforcement to flatten the structures.
He urged that land owners be compelled to halt unauthorised construction immediately at the foundation stage rather than allowing entire homesteads to be built before carrying out demolitions, which leaves families destitute without alternative shelter.
Dlamini warned that the ongoing destruction of homesteads is eroding traditional Swati values of respect and humility, driving affected individuals toward confrontation and legal breaches out of desperation.
“There are people who are taking the law into their own hands. Because it is painful, it makes them end up violating the law. They end up doing what they shouldn’t do and beating people up,” he noted, adding that those who resort to violence end up incarcerated.
He criticised the delay in enacting updated land legislation through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy, noting that the legislative gap leaves local chiefs and residents in constant conflict. He urged Parliament and government to take decisive action to resolve the national land tenure crisis and establish clear boundaries once and for all.
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