Orphan lives in cave for 6yrs, family house burnt
MBABANE – The Mdzangwini community is fighting for the justice of an orphan who has spent six years living in a cave.
For six years, Zipho Brackel has been living in the cave, situated a few metres from what used to be his family house.
This comes after the house was gutted by a stray fire as it was situated within a small bush inside the Brackel family’s yard.
Zipho, occupied the family house, was left stranded, as everything inside the house was razed down by the fire as it was built with wood.
Following the death of his parents, the orphan had hopped from one homestead to another around Mdzangwini and Fonteyn.
Fire
Trouble began after the house was gutted by the fire around 2013, when he took the decision to live in the cave. The community has blamed some individuals within the area’s umphakatsi, who had allegedly pushed the orphan to the extremes, following the burning of his family house.
Reggie Hlophe, who is the Secretary of the current Local Committee at Mdzangwini, stated that around 2004, when Zipho’s father died, he left his family living in the family house which was a temporary wood structure, which was close to the caves, with the hope that one day he would build a big house within the yard.
According to Hlophe, Brackel who was a mechanic, had envisioned constructing a workshop in his yard, hence he offered two cows to umphakatsi for the vast land and was among the first to settle at Mdzangwini.
However, he said a huge portion of the Brackel land had been allegedly taken by two families. He said one family had completed their structure and had been living there for many years, while the other was still constructing its house.
Hlophe stated that they had been moving from pillar to post to get justice for Zipho and his siblings.
He said the matter was reported at ndabazabantu, where it was deliberated, but towards the end, before a judgment was issued, the umphakatsi interfered and the matter was abandoned at ndabazabantu. He said the umphakatsi interfered at a time when ndabazabantu was supposed to visit the Brackel homestead to confirm the story and how the orphan’s land had been allegedly grabbed.
Petitioned
According to Hlophe, about two weeks ago, the community once again petitioned the royal kraal over a number of issues involving land grabbing and the issue of the Brackel family was also top of the agenda. An elder and community police member Vus’muzi Nhleko affirmed that the late Brackel khontaed at the umphakatsi and the then indvuna yemphakatsi approved him. Nhleko said Brackel was among the first settlers in 1998 and stated that one of the families that had illegally settled inside the Brackel family yard was given a portion of land closer to the Brackel family, but they illegally extended it and took a huge portion from the Brackel’s land. He opined that this family may have encroached into the Brackel’s land simply because the children had no one to defend them.
Intervened
However, he said when the local committee intervened last year, the neighbour promised that he would build a two-room structure for the orphans. He added that the neighbour had promised that the structure would be completed in August.
Nhleko said the neighbour had not fulfilled his promise, resulting in the orphan being removed by his siblings who lived in the neighbouring South Africa.
“Zipho was taken by his sister last week as the conditions he lived under were not conducive,” Nhleko added.
He said the neighbours did not even bother to take in the orphan.
When reached for comment, Zipho’s uncle, Cheeks Lukhele, said they learnt of the painful experience his nieces and nephews were going through from the community. Lukhele said his niece did report that the family house was burnt.
He said they had discussions with the neighbours and one of the families promised to construct a two-room structure as an apology for allegedly illegally grabbing the land. Lukhele said with the other neighbour, who already had a structure within the Brackel homestead, they engaged him on issues of compensation and he demanded a huge amount, which was when the matter was then taken to ndabazabantu.
This neighbour stated that together with his family, they had been staying in the area since 2008.
Shocked
He said they were shocked by the claims that the land on which they had built their second house did not belong to them.
The other neighbour, who had promised to build a structure for the orphan, stated that the umphakatsi told him to get a letter from the committee to document this but to date, it had not been given to him.
He said he challenged the Mdzangwini local committee, which accused him of constructing his home on the Brackel family land to approach the umphakatsi which gave him the land and they refused.
The neighbour stated that he then went to the umphakatsi and reported the issue and was told that those challenging the authority should engage them or write a letter and serve him with it.