EX-SPORTS COUNCIL CEO’S PARENTS FIGHT OVER BODY

MBABANE – Death normally unites families but this is not the case for the parents of the late former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Swaziland  National Sports Council Victor Shabangu.

The situation is so tense that the funeral and memorial service have been stopped by the High Court.
According to a death notice issued by his father Pitoli, the former CEO’s memorial service was slated for today at UNISWA Kwaluseni. 
His funeral, according to the notice, was expected to be held at his parental home in Moneni on Sunday after a vigil tomorrow.

Victor, who is also a former CEO of the Swaziland Youth Council, died while fixing a car tyre at a filling station.  Victor is also a former CEO of the National Olympic Committee and he represented the country in the 1996 Olympic Games.

Memorial

The memorial service and the funeral were stopped after Victor’s mother took his father to court where she was seeking an order interdicting him from burying the deceased at Moneni. The deceased’s mother, Joyce Sibandze, wants his body to be buried at Ngculwini.
Also cited as a respondent in the matter was Victor’s alleged wife Nomvuyo Kunene

In her application, Joyce stated that Pitoli (Victor’s father) had been engaged by the Sibandze family to respect Victor’s wishes to be buried at Ngculwini. According to Joyce, Pitoli refused to listen to them and had unilaterally decided to bury the deceased on his own.

 
She informed the court that Victor khontaed and built his homestead at Ngculwini under Chief Mgebiseni in the year 2005.
“The deceased in his lifetime has made it known to me and all family members that if he were to die, he wanted to be buried at his homestead below his cattle byre,” submitted Joyce.

According to Joyce, Victor also mentioned that he did not want to be buried at his father’s place.  She highlighted that the first respondent (Pitoli) was Victor’s father and had allegedly decided not to honour the wishes of the deceased  but wanted to bury him at his (Pitoli) homestead and had allegedly refused to heed the advice of the Sibandze family council.

She claimed the second respondent (Nomvuyo) and Pitoli were not in good terms with Victor during his lifetime and it was his (Victor)wish that since that was the case, in the event he died, he should be buried at Ngculwini.
Joyce asserted that it was therefore fair in the circumstances of this case that the funeral of the deceased be conducted at his homestead as per his wishes.

“The funeral or burial of a deceased person is a very solemn, sensitive, sorrowful and sacred event.  It commands and demands respect from both the friend and foe alike,” she argued.

Corpse

She contended that Victor’s corpse could not be used by his father to settle social scores with the Sibandze family.
According to the applicant (Joyce), the expectation of the community, fairness, reasonable and the dictates of Swazi Law and Custom, stipulated that once a man had built his own homestead, he should be buried there.

She told the court that Pitoli never paid the customary fines for impregnating her nor ‘bought’  Victor from the Sibandze family as per Swazi Culture. “Customary, the deceased was a ‘Nsibande’ child,” submitted Joyce.

Giving a background of the matter, Joyce stated that around the year 1969 or thereabout, she had a love relationship with Pitoli.  From the relationship, according to Joyce, came Victor who was born on January 18, 1970.
She told the court that following the birth of Victor, she resided with him at her parental homestead at Logoba.

“I took care of Victor with no contribution from his father. When Victor was doing Form I at Salesian High School, the first respondent (father) came and took him away from me to reside with him without my consent or that of the Sibandzes,” alleged the applicant.

She alleged that when Victor was doing Form III, he got burnt and had to be hospitalised at the Mbabane Government Hospital.  Joyce told the court that following Victor’s discharge from hospital, he returned to reside with her at Logoba, until he became an adult and started to work at Ngwane Teachers College.

It was during his stay at Nhlangano that Victor reportedly met Nomvuyo, whom he then married through Swazi Law and Custom on May 24, 1998.
According to her mother, the kuteka ceremony took place at her homestead at Sicelwini.

Allegiance

“In the year 2005, Victor requested me to accompany him to Ngculwini Royal Kraal, where he khontaed. He thereafter built his homestead and paid allegiance to Chief Mgebiseni,” said Joyce.
She claimed that Victor lived in Ngculwini from that date until his demise.

The order stopping the memorial service and the funeral was issued by Judge John Magagula yesterday afternoon.  The court also stopped Dups Funeral Home and Undertakers from releasing Victor’s corpse to anyone
Joyce is represented by Mxolisi Dlamini of Robinson Bertram.

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