Once again, we woke up to the devastating news of another family eviction. The heartbreaking demolition of a family homestead valued at E450 000 at KaNcesi serves as yet another painful reminder of the deep-seated crisis of land tenure and forced evictions plaguing our nation.
Overnight, life savings, sweat and hard-earned security were reduced to rubble. A family has been left homeless, exposed to harsh weather conditions, insecure about their belongings; children face an uncertain future, which will bear deeper psychological scars way into their adulthood, and families are stripped of their human dignity, which is assured in the national Constitution.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident; it is part of a recurring pattern where ordinary emaSwati are systematically dispossessed, displaced and cast into severe poverty under the shadow of heavy machinery and police enforcement of court orders.
A nation built on fragile ground cannot stand. For far too long, the people of Eswatini in Swazi Nation Land have lived under constant anxiety.
Despite customary allocations and substantial investments made by citizens to build homes for their families, the lack of formal, legally protected security of tenure leaves everyday families vulnerable to sudden court orders, elite land grabs and ruthless bulldozing.
When a E450000 home can be flattened in a single morning without alternative accommodation provided, we must confront the urgent question facing our society: Until when will emaSwati suffer this brutal injustice?
While the deputy prime minister (DPM) and government are busy restoring the dignity of some emaSwati who lack decent shelter, a family that has used all its savings to build a decent home now joins thousands of emaSwati who are hoping for the housing project initiative by the DPM’s Office to reach them.
This action is indeed counterproductive. It further undermines the country’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goals, where global leaders, including Eswatini, committed to ‘leave no one behind’.
Let us recall that Eswatini is a constitutional State, with a Bill of Rights. Under the Bill of Rights, Section 19 guarantees every person the right to own property, either alone or in association with others. The Constitution protects from compulsory deprivation of property, meaning government cannot seize land or property interests unless:
It is necessary for public use, defence, safety, order or health.
The acquisition is made under a law that provides for the prompt payment of fair and adequate compensation.
The affected person is granted access to a court of law.
The Constitution unveiled by the King at Sibaya, the sacred institution in our cultural and traditional context, was a promissory note that emaSwati rights from henceforth will be guaranteed and protected.
The Constitution has been in place for over 20 years now, but emaSwati continue to suffer the pain of evictions, which leaves families with loss of many years of investment in constructing a house.
No development, administrative process, or private dispute justifies rendering human beings homeless. In alignment with fundamental human rights and international standards, we call for:
An immediate moratorium on forced evictions is required, where there would be a complete freeze on all land evictions and home demolitions across Eswatini until comprehensive legal and procedural safeguards are enacted.
Also critical is urgent legal land reforms where Parliament and relevant authorities must urgently reform land tenure laws to grant secure, enforceable title rights to ordinary citizens living on both Swazi Nation Land and peri-urban areas.
There is a need for remedial action against such a huge loss by the affected family. We appeal for justice and compensation for the KaNcesi family to be considered by the concerned owner of the property and government.
We appeal for humanitarian relief measures by relevant institutions, including Baphalali Eswatini Red Cross Society, the National Disaster Risk Authority, non-governmental organisations, churches, business community and ordinary emaSwati to demonstrate that we are a nation founded on values of ubuntu.
We implore an independent t investigation into the traditional authorities that allocated land in accordance with kukhonta traditional practice so that those responsible can fully account for the family predicament.
As we all know, land is the lifeblood of our culture, livelihoods and survival of families, communities and country as a whole; denying citizens the security of the soil they live on threatens the social fabric of the kingdom as well as peace in general. It is sad that government, for many years, has failed to finalise the draft land policy. It shows a lack of political will to address the problem.
The brutality at KaNcesi must be the final breaking point. The plight of displaced emaSwati cannot continue in silence. Land evictions strike at the core of human dignity. Evicting vulnerable communities without due process or compensation violates international law, driving marginalised people into poverty.
