Ntuthuko’s fate awaits all, unless...
SAFTER THOUGHTS GUESTWRITER
HORTLY after receiving a 65-year-jail sentence for the murder of three community leaders in a land dispute, former Minister of Public Works and Transport Ntuthuko Dlamini recalled how quickly he transitioned from being a pupil, to a Member of Parliament (MP), a minister of the Crown and now an inmate.
He can count himself fortunate that he gets to see another day. The same cannot be said of the deceased who had credentials of their own, albeit not so glorified, but significant enough to be entrusted to serve as community leaders in the area’s inner council. No amount of cash offering to the deceased’s family can compensate the loss of their breadwinners in such a brutal manner.
Justice has been served in the matter, but life imprisonment would have served it better. We can’t afford to reduce our society to becoming the ‘wild, wild west’, where guns are drawn on the street to resolve differences.
In a society that is degenerating into a murderous rage with reckless abandon, we need all those with the authority over structures or institutions contributing to this phenomenon to realise that if they don’t play their part to stem this tide, the death or imprisonment that has befallen the inner council members and the former minister, awaits us all.
In this case, a land dispute is at the heart of the tragedy that could have easily been avoided.
SLife
OMEONE once said; “There are two types of people, those who contribute and those who detract. You must learn that the best way to build your career and your life is through your own achievements, not by attacking the achievements of others. People will always remember what type of person you are, and they will trust or distrust you accordingly.”
I am reminded of these words every time I look for advice, encouragement or support and all I get is criticism. I see this every time someone makes a giant leap of faith, starts a business or begins a new career. Most recently there’s been so much to contribute towards, especially with the political climate in the country. People who have only criticism to offer are soon forgotten – those who contribute in a constructive way become part of history. This admonition applies not only to how we conduct ourselves, it also has important implications on how we choose our friends and those
Dlamini was not happy with a decision being taken on a piece of land he had vested interests in and foolishly thought using a gun would solve it.
Ntuthuko told this publication, after his sentencing, that when he went to Mhlabubovu on the fateful day, where members of the Luyengweni Inner Council were allocating a piece of land, his intention was to warn the inner council members not to proceed with the exercise. Luyengweni and LaMgabhi have been at loggerheads over who has authority over Mhlabubovu.
Ntuthuko said when he spoke to the Luyengweni Inner Council members, and they did not respond, he walked away and called the station commander of Bhunya Police Station, but he overheard them saying police officers would not come to the area. He said they also told him to approach the relevant structures.
Enlightened
As a former MP and Cabinet minister, and as a holder of a Diploma in Law, he was more enlightened than most on where final authority over Eswatini National Land (ENL) is vested and how to appeal decisions over such land if he felt the authorities were abusing their powers.
The arbiter on nation land issues in the country is the iNgwenyama. If a ruling has been made by the King and it is being defied, all it takes is the acquiring of an emissary (lincusa) to seek audience with the King to report this.
What cannot be dismissed though, but by no means justifies what Dlamini did, is the existing frustration among hundreds of citizens who fall victim to the venality of the land management system in the country.
One may be constitutionally guaranteed access to land by virtue of Section 211 of the Constitution, which states that ‘a citizen of Swaziland (Eswatini), without regard to gender, shall have equal access to land for normal domestic purposes’.
we choose to trust.
Today I want to delve into a less political and more personal (even though personal IS political) collaborations, known as friendships. Who we choose to associate with has a great impact on how your life turns out – financially, emotionally, physically and otherwise. Consistency of behaviour can be a clue in picking reliable friends. How often do they tell the truth? This has to do with honesty. How often do they defend you? We are talking about loyalty here. Do they show up when you need help? Support. There is so much you can analyse when picking a companion, sometimes it takes one hangout session to know if that person is your cup of tea or not. And sometimes you really need to give yourself time because people can pretend to be something they are not, and you find yourself married to a person who is the direct opposite of what they were when you met them.
Skill
Just as the environment has its toxins, humanity includes people who consistently do toxic things. Recognising and avoiding toxic people is an essential skill to learn as early in life as possible. Toxic people can spread unhappiness and personal suffering. They ultimately poison things they come into touch with; other people, careers, businesses, marriages and, especially, children. These people are often virtually immune to insight, remorse or lasting positive change. I’m not talking about people with criminal personalities, but rather people who live and work with us every day. As a mum of a young boy, who is in preschool, I’m
This right, however, is ring-fenced around the authority over land vested in the iNgwenyama, as well as the Swazi Administration Act, 1950, which includes the definition of the role and responsibilities of chiefs, who administer land issues on behalf of the iNgwenyama, as well as the Swazi Land Settlement Act, 1946.
What has also emerged over the years are chiefdom development plans that seek to organise land allocation and partitioning in order to facilitate structured development in communities and minimise land disputes.
Roads
Taking jobs to the communities such as factory shells, requires well-structured land distribution. Roads and essential facilities such as electricity and water, need not have to result in evictions and this can be avoided with proactive planning.
The importance of this exercise was reiterated by His Majesty the King when opening Parliament last month. He described it as one of the major impediments to development. He lamented the absence of a well-structured resettlement programme that will oversee development in rural communities, some of which have developed into towns.
He called for proper demarcation and respect for boundaries of private land and ENL needs to be enforced so that the development of our communities can be speeded up and the people can derive benefit from essential service facilities.
He pointed out, however, that in order to realise these goals, all emaSwati should unite against corruption by refusing to be part of any crime and rejecting every type of criminality. Herein lies the crux of the matter with the land disputes. It is my belief that eliminating corruption in the land management system would go a long way in preventing possible conflicts that have led to bloodshed.
constantly at awe with the things he learns from other children. What type of parents do other children have out there?
Toxic behaviour doesn’t just inflict a personal hurt. It assaults systemic well-being. It generates stress and frustration at the crippling devaluation. It is deeply disturbing because, as it destabilises us, it prompts us to believe, even for a moment, that it reflects how all others see us. If you are constantly around a friend, colleague or partner who is always implying that you are not good enough, you start believing that you are not, and other people think so too. You do not take risks or chances because you already assume that you are going to fail. And the opposite is true – when you are with someone who is always hyping you up, offering advice and making you feel like you are doing great, you WILL do great.
The trouble is, it tends to be catching. Like all negative phenomena, it makes an outsize impact on the brain even if only witnessed. No sooner does one worker see a boss berating an underlying than that employee finds herself replicating the behaviour. In families, bad behaviour can get passed from generation to generation as reliably as hair colour. In personal relationships it is more insidiously woven through bonds of attachment. Whether toxic behaviour issues stem from sheer thoughtlessness or pure malice, it has always been part of the human repertoire. However, much we find ourselves living in toxic times, it falls to each of us to know how to recognise nastiness and how to deflect it. Handling toxic people may not be easy, but it is vital to your welfare and to the greater good.