Mushrooming homes worry Maseko clan
BHUNYA – Homesteads are mushrooming on mountain tops, graveyards, wetlands and grazing fields.
This is the current situation at KaLuhleko in Bhunya, where over 1 000 homesteads have mushroomed in a space of almost 10 years, since 2013.
The mushrooming of homesteads is not what troubles the community but the areas where they have been constructed and the manner they have been settled.
KaLuhleko is also the home area of slain Human Rights Lawyer, Thulani Maseko. On the week that he was killed, he had a scheduled meeting with the faction accused of selling land in the area.
Thulani was alleged to have been representing the interest of the community members whose land had also been grabbed.
Members of the community who preferred to remain anonymous including elders from the Maseko clan, alleged that a meeting was supposed to take place at Chief Zulelihle’s umphakatsi known as eMgolantsetse.
However, the elders stated that the human rights lawyer was engaged in other commitments and reported that he was running late.
Devastated
The elders said they were devastated to learn of his tragic death in the same evening that the matter over the alleged land dispute was to be addressed. This, they said, had left them stranded on the next step to take, as they allegedly approached all the traditional structures without getting answers. According to the concerned community members, the land was being sold for varying amounts, ranging from a minimum E40 000 to E100 000, depending on the size and place. They said they had been left with no choice but to take their livestock to other areas, following that the grazing land had been occupied by homesteads.
Mhawukela Maseko, who is an elder and former member of bandlancane at Macembe, alleged that the land was being sold and the buyers were not settled according to the traditional way of kukhonta, as per the requirement.
Mhawukela alleged that even land belonging to the community, for purposes such as livestock grazing and graveyards, was illegally converted to people’s homes.
According to Mhawukela, homesteads were competing with graves, which were 500 metres away and getting closer by the day.
He said after the resettlement in the area, the graveyards were allocated space, which was now also being invaded. Furthermore, he said within the grazing land, some homesteads had mushroomed.
Mhawukela said most people preferring to settle in the area were emaSwati who were escaping from the towns due to high rates required by the municipalities. “This is why some of them do not mind putting up a structure even on the mountain top and graveyards,” the elder stated.
Installation
He said most of the homesteads started mushrooming after the installation of the chief.
He added that the chief took the reins after the death of his brother.
He said they had reported the matter to the Manzini Regional Administration (RA) Offices. Mhawukela said the RA, at the time, was Prince Gcokoma and that Chief Gija also took over the matter.
He added that the Ludzidzini Council was aware of the matter.
“We have not received any positive response from all the structures which we have approached, not even once but several times.”
He said someone who attempted to address the matter was Prince Gcokoma, but later dropped it when he left office.
Reached for comment, a member from the umphakatsi, Gwaza Maseko, said the cause of the mushrooming homesteads was the ongoing dispute. Gwaza alleged that someone in authority was also involved in selling land.
Worse
He said it all started in 2013 when the welfare of the people of KaLuhleko changed for the worse and residents’ land was literally grabbed.
“If there are any people who have undergone kukhonta, they are very few in this area,” said Gwaza.
He further said said there were now two imiphakatsi in the area under Chief Mfanawenkhosi Maseko and Chief Zulelihle.
He said Chief Mfanawenkhosi’s umphakatsi was disputed by the current Chief Zulelihle yet his umphakatsi was not traditionally recognised as it was the homestead of his mother, the inkhosikati. Rightfully, he said after being installed, the chief should construct his own umphakatsi, which had not been the case.
Gwaza stated that some people from the Maseko clan had refused to recognise Chief Zulelihle, as he did not come from their household, something that had created division among the subjects of the area.
However, he said those who paid their allegiance to Chief Mfanawenkhosi were frustrated and their land forcefully taken from them.