Son: Controversies, unlawful
MBABANE – The elder son of the late businessman Richard Dlamini, who owned Phakama Bus Services, says the estate of his parents was marred by controversies and unlawful rulings.
Richard died on December 20, 2013. His first wife, Sarah Dlamini (nee Kunene) died on November 30, 2016. Richard and Sarah were married in terms of civil rites.
He went on to marry three more wives in terms of Eswatini Law and Custom. At the time of his death, Richard had 25 children.
Sarah challenged the validity of her husband’s marriages with the three other wives and Judge Mumcy Dlamini declared them bigamous. They went to the Supreme Court and Judge Mumcy’s ruling was overturned, the result being that the three wives were declared Richard’s spouses.
Richard and Sarah’s elder son, Emmanuel Dlamini, yesterday appeared before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry.
Controversies
He said they had concluded that the administration of the estate of his parents was marred by a number of controversies.
Emmanuel told the commission that information obtained from the estate files in the Office of the Master of the High Court revealed certain controversial and questionable deeds of transfers or the acquisition of properties belonging to his parents. The acquisition of the properties, according to Emmanuel, was made by companies that were allegedly registered by his brother, Muzi Dlamini, which is believed to have been concealed from them and their parents during their lifetime.
The companies in question are Phakama Investments, Sigwaca Holdings and Luvuso Trust.
Emmanuel alleged that the directors of these companies were not known to the family. The Chairperson of the commission, Judge Majahenkhaba Dlamini, asked Emmanuel how that was their concern.
Emmanuel explained that in 1988, his brother, Muzi, left his job to assist their parents and in 1994, he allegedly registered a company in a name similar to that of their parents’ company, Phakama Bus Services. The name of the company allegedly registered by Muzi was Phakama Investments (Pty) Ltd. He alleged that his brother opened a bank account at Standard Bank and convinced his parents to move from their usual bank and move to Standard Bank. “We were able to unearth a number of controversial and questionable deeds of transfers for the acquisition of properties belonging to both the deceased by Phakama Investments, Sigwaca Holdings and Luvuso Trust from the master of the High Court. Questionable financial transactions, in particular between Phakama Investments with Mgewu Logistics, are glaring.
“From there, all the money generated by the buses, unbeknown to our parents, was deposited at Standard Bank, into the account held by Phakama Investments, not Phakama Bus Services. Phakama Investments went on to buy properties that belonged to our parents. Even today, the money generated by the buses is deposited into the account held with Standard Bank,” alleged Emmanuel.
These allegations were mentioned during the Judicial Commission of Inquiry investigating the Master’s Office.
Transfer
To provide an insight into these allegations, Emmanuel cited three deeds of transfer that were allegedly found in the files of their late parents at the Master’s Office in Manzini ‘to illustrate the height of the controversy and questionability of the deeds of transfer and questionable financial transactions’.
He said there was Deed of Transfer No. 240/1996, which was registered on July 5, 1996. He stated that this was a developed property belonging to their mother, Sarah and Eunice Kunene; being Portion 17 (a portion of Portion 3) of Farm No. 286 in the Manzini Region. This property, according to Emmanuel, was transferred to Phakama Investments for E60 000.
He alleged that the deed of transfer doc