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MBABANE - Ludzidzini Royal Council has not yet presented to the King names of candidates to replace deceased chiefs, almost five years after the exercise was postponed.
There are over 40 candidates from across the country whose names are yet to be presented to the King.
It is not clear whether the names of the candidates would be presented this year or they would have to wait a bit longer.
This means that some royal kraals have been operating without chiefs, who are a symbol of unity and father of communities according to Section 233 (6) of the Constitution for over 30 years.
Section 233 (1) of the Constitution states that chiefs are the footstool of Ingwenyama and that Ingwenyama rules through them. Subsection 2 states that the Ingwenyama may appoint any person to be a chief over any area.
Constitution
The Constitution provides that the position of a chief as a local head of one or more areas is usually hereditary and is regulated by Eswatini Law and Custom. The Constitution further provides that unless the situation otherwise required, a chief shall assume office at the age of 18 years or so, soon thereafter as the period of mourning comes to an end. Chiefs have the duty to enforce a custom, tradition, practice or usage which is just and not discriminatory.
Worth noting is that before the Chief Mdlaka-led council took over in 2016, the candidates and their families were turned back at the eleventh hour at Ludzidzini Royal Residence in 2017.
When turned back, the late Chief, Mlobokazana Fakudze, told the candidates and their families that the King had another commitment, which resulted in the postponement. The council had a caucus, which lasted until after lunch, before attending to the families who had brought cattle early in the morning.
Fakudze promised the families that they would be recalled in a sooner date which he, however, did not mention.At the time, there were talks that some families were not in agreement over the candidates.
Section 233 (3) provides that the general rule is that every umphakatsi (chief’s residence) is headed by a chief who is appointed by Ingwenyama after the chief has been selected by the family council (lusendvo) and shall, vacate office in like manner.
It also transpired that some families brought more than one candidate for the King’s blessing on the day in question.
The families were advised to put their house in order before their next return.
Asked about the current position in relation to the replacement of the deceased chief, the Chairman of Ludzidizni Royal Council, Chief Mdlaka Gamedze, said the council would not reveal much as the candidates had not yet been presented to the King.
King
Gamedze shared that there were over 40 candidates from across the country whose names were yet to be presented to the King.
It should be noted that a candidate has to go through certain stages before his name is presented to the King for blessing. Normally, a candidate has to be selected at family level and presented to the area’s residence.
The family then takes the candidate to Ludzidzini Royal Council where his name is put on the list. From the Ludzidzini Council, the candidates are presented to Her Majesty the Queen Mother at Ludzidzini Royal Residence before they are taken to the King for blessing.
It is during the course of this process that families differed in the names of the candidates, resulting in factions ahead of the replacement of the chief.
Such has been witnessed in places like Nkhaba Royal Kraal under the late Chief Bhekimpi, Motshane Royal Kraal under the late Chief Sipho Shongwe, Shewula under the late Chief Mbandzamane Sifundza and LaMgabhi Etiyeni under the late Chief Mabhedla Hlophe, among other royal kraals.
It should be noted that some of the royal kraals have been without chiefs for more than 30 years due to family disputes. However, some royal kraals recognise the candidates pending the King’s blessings.
It should also be noted that in the absence of a chief, subjects struggle to get services. Some have to travel long distances to the offices of ndabazabantu for services such as royal kraal stamps.
Disputes
It has also been noted that land disputes have been rife in the areas without chiefs as unauthorised councils allocate land willy-nilly.
“Our first assignment was to verify with the families if all the candidates who were selected at the family level were still alive. We also ascertained if the families were in agreement in order to avoid confusion. We are almost done with everything in as far as compiling the new chiefs’ lists is concerned,” Gamedze said.
Asked about the challenges, Gamedze stated that the council had discovered that some families had not bothered submitting names of the proposed chiefs’ successors. He stated that some families had not returned after they were advised to resolve disputes.
Gamedze stated that the council then made follow-ups which resulted in some families coming through.