QUESTIONS TO SWAZI RAIL LINK

Sir,

We hope that the objective of the Swazi Rail Link (SRL) project’s Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) is based on the collection and dissemination of international best practices to all affected stakeholders.

We hope the resettlement and relocation of the project’s affected people (PAP) will be conceived as an opportunity for improving their livelihoods by ensuring that they are compensated fully and fairly for their lost assets, and that the specific approaches to the resettlement and restoration of livelihoods will be designed to meet the needs of the people affected by the project.

Questions;
1. Exhumation and reburial of graves: In this process we hope you engaged the services of an undertaker. Were the people affected by the above process properly mitigated and their wishes respected by the SRL? The relocation of all graves to a single site, ideally in all communities, was recommended to create enough land for future burials. The key words should be ‘sustainable conservation’ of burial sites to meet the needs of present and future generations.
a) Were access roads to the new grave sites opened?
b) Were the graves sites fenced in the areas in which they were relocated?
c) Are all graves identifiable; bearing the name of the buried individuals?
d) Were traditional authorities trained on the preservation and management of the new grave sites?
2. Resettlement and relocation of the PAP; the Swazi Rail Link will transverse along 14 chiefdoms;
a) Which chiefdoms are most affected in terms of resettling and relocation of the homesteads?
b) Approximately how many homesteads are affected, and where are the homesteads going to be resettled or relocated?
c) Why did Swaziland Railway opt to start with the exhumation and reburial graves process instead of prioritising the PAP’s resettlement land?

d) The RAP document stated that a total of 410 homesteads were surveyed within the 25m buffer zone. The buffer zone was increased to 50m. What will be the fate of those homesteads that were told to stop developing their homesteads and now have been left behind when the buffer zone was again reduced to 25m?

e) What will be the fate of the PAP when they are resettled in a farm, will they continue to pay allegiance to their previous chiefs.
f) Among the 14 affected chiefdoms; some homesteads were previously built within the Usutu forests now being owned by Montigny. These homesteads were requested to give way for the planting of pine trees which were previously owned by Usutu Pulp Company and Sappi. Why can’t SRL negotiate with Montigny to allow the PAP to resettle in the adjacent forest plantations as this will help the PAP to continue to pay allegiance to their present respective chiefs. The area required to resettle the PAP is a drop in the ocean as compared to the area covered by the forest plantations.

3. Project Affected People Survey; during the initial survey of the PAP, a homestead head and his spouse were counted;
a) Were sons above 18 years of age counted during the survey, if not why, because these sons are now matured to become homestead heads? And this shall mean more land required as compared to the initial surveyed figure.
b) Were unmarried/divorced females with children counted?
c) Were people falling under the vulnerable group counted?

4. Compensation of the PAP; in the Swaziland Constitution of 2005, Section 19 states that a person has a right to own property either alone or in association with others;
a) Is SRL obliged to respect these fundamental rights during the RAP?
b) Will compensation be in conjunction with that of South Africa?
c) Are PAPs allowed to be legally represented during the compensation process?
d) Are PAPs or their representatives allowed to rope in the ACC if they suspect any corrupt practice by those paying compensation to the PAPs?
 5. Project Implementation Process; Transnet and Swaziland Railway predicted that the project will create 3 400 construction-related jobs in South Africa and 2 700 jobs in Swaziland;
a) Are these figures still practically predictable?
b) What would be the criterion during the employment process?
c) Are Project Affected Household members going to be given first preference than community members who were not affected?
d) Are local community members going to be given first preference than outsiders during the employment process?
e) What constructive tool or remedy is going to be used in order to ensure that no in-fighting or confrontation occurs during the employment process?
6. Forestry and sawmilling industries; in June 2015 Transnet SRL Programme Director Wilson Mogoba met with Wood Southern Africa and Timber Times for an update on the project and to learn more about how the forestry and sawmilling industries would benefit from the proposed rail link.
a) What will happen to the trucking business when the rail link project resumes operations?
b) Will the timber grown in Swaziland be exported to other countries as a raw product?
c) Will this project not create war or sabotage between the trucking industry and SRL?
d) Will the 300 long term operational jobs from the train operation be of benefit to the PAP?

Concerned citizen
 
 

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