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PLEA TO LABADZALA ABOUT EZULWINI UMPHAKATSI

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Editor,

I am writing this letter to share same sentiments with the distraught resident of Ezulwini who wrote about what’s happening in the area. I just want to attest that I am one of the many who have been subjected to this Bandlancane and I have lost thousands to this libandla and we wonder who will rescue us.


The Kingdom of Swaziland is known for her King who loves and respects his people and has placed certain structures to ensure that his people are well looked after. Culture is well taught and peace preserved. However, this is not the case in this infamous community. People are subjected to abuse by the Umphakatsi through fines that can not be explained, should one question the strange monetary demands by the latter.
People’s rights are violated and residents are treated like extraterrestrials and disrespected by the bandlancane such that as residents, we wonder whether their unbecoming conduct was the mandate they got from the chief to ensure they raid people’s pockets.


This group of men aka libandla can say anything and anyhow to members of the community, including name calling when addressing people’s grievances.
Needless to say, they are feared in this community because they are believed to be the ears and eye of the King, hence the outcry to labadzala bale live because we know our King is not aware of such practices in this community.
The Ezulwini Umphakatsi is becoming a state of its own and is governed by its own laws and regulations, which are different from traditional laws of the country. People are being made to pay exorbitant fees and fines. The fines range from E300 to E10 000 and they instil the fear of eviction to residents so that they feel helpless.  


It seems they are above the law. The previous writer of the Ezulwini saga touched on the road conditions of this area and I feel its worth mentioning that in some of the areas (Sigcuma) in Ezulwini the residents are forced to pay E100 road tax a year. This money is meant to maintain the road but when you go to that road, you find that it has never been maintained. When residents request that the funds be audited as they are public funds they are told to get lost as there are no proper records maintained to account for those funds.


Living in this community has become very expensive for the community hence the elderly and the unemployed are made to pay this exorbitant fees, which are frequently demanded from time to time, some of which are claimed to be for the upkeep of the so called libandla.
This is way above the kuhlela, which we all know and embrace as natives of this land.


Worse is the plight of the elderly, orphans, widows and the disabled of this community who do not have a monthly pay cheque to sustain the expensive life imposed by the libandla.  Some of these people live on government grants. Should these have a request to libandla their request will not be attended to until they pay the balances.
Some of them have even lost land to the financially endowed that can pay the popular E5 000 fines.

Another frustrated resident    

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