FARM SOLD FOR E5.3M IN 5 MINUTES

MBABANE – In only five minutes, the auction of a farm was done and dusted.

The farm, demarcated into two sections measuring 153 hectares and 53 hectares respectively, went under the hammer for E5.3 million from a reserve price of E5 million. The auction conducted at the High Court on Friday by Deputy Sheriff Nkosingphile Dlamini from 11:30am, only attracted five bidders. Out of the five bidders, the only bid came from the eventual owner of the farm, who preferred to remain anonymous. The farm is located at Mhlosheni in Nhlangano; it has a four-bedroom house, feedlot, dam irrigation system, workshop, and a two-bedroom house. It is also fully fenced and has a river passing across it. It had earlier been explained that the farm is ideal for cattle, goat, sheep and pig farming or any other business which may be deemed fit by the eventual owner. Other business ventures that could be undertaken at the farm include maize, nuts, beans and vegetable farming.

While the business opportunity exists and has massive potential to attract the desired economic benefits, it should be noted that it has been proposed that farm owners who intend selling their farms could soon be legally obligated to give dwellers, Swazi Nation Land (SNL) chiefdoms or government the first to make an offer to purchase that farm through a fund. This is contained in the Farm Dwellers Control (Amendment) Bill of 2017 that has been gazetted. It should, however, be noted that while preference will be given to dwellers, the dwellers or group of farm dwellers will also be expected to cooperate and move to an off-site development consequent to a final decision of a tribunal, court of law or the fund as guided by the fund regulations.

Under the section outlining procedure for the sale or purchase of a farm, it has been precisely stated: “Where a farm is put up for sale the owner will, in writing, give the farm dwellers residing in the farm, the first right to purchase the portion upon which they reside. If two or more farm dwellers organise themselves into a group, they shall, in writing, be given by the farm owner the first right to purchase either their collective portions of land or the whole farm if they indicate their intention to purchase the whole farm in writing.” It has further been where more than five families of farm dwellers who have resided openly on that farm for more than five years, have a desire to purchase the farm; the owner has the duty to seriously consider the offer and respond within 30 days and provide cogent reasons for refusal to sell. “Where a farm owner declines to sell, a farm dweller or group of farm dwellers have the right to revive their offer to purchase once every twelve months, if the farm or portions they are interested in remain unsold,” read the proposed amendments in part. 

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