I DON’T REGRET LOSING CABINET JOB - SIBUSISO

MBABANE - “I don’t regret losing my job as a minister.” This was said by former minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Sibusiso Shongwe on Friday in an interview after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of a widow who was represented by his law firm.

In its judgment, the court ordered the executor of the estate of Effie Sonya Henwood’s father-in-law to take all necessary steps and sign documents for the transfer of property which had been sold to SWADE for E12.5 million.
SWADE is an acronym for Swaziland Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (SWADE).
The property is Portion 2 of Farm No.29 situated in the Lubombo Region, measuring 774 hectares.

It belonged to the estate of Henwood’s late husband who had purchased it from the estate of her father-in-law, which, however, disputed the sale and proceeded to sell it to SWADE.
The executor of the estate of her father-in-law took the matter to court demanding that the sale between the estates be declared null and void.  Henwood, who is the executor of her husband’s estate, lost the matter in the High Court and Supreme Court. The Supreme Court eventually ruled in her favour after she filed a review application.

Shongwe praised the Supreme Court for the judgment.
He said he also fought for the cause of widows and would continue to do so until he died. In 2014, Shongwe introduced the estate directive known as the Estate Policy through the office of the Master of the High Court to the effect that intestate issues of customary marriages would be treated at the same level as those of civil rites marriages.

The policy, which resulted in Shongwe being at loggerheads with former Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini, was later withdrawn by Cabinet.
Following Friday’s ruling, Shongwe said he did not need a ministerial job to defend the cause of widows in the country. This was after he had also mentioned that he lost job as a minister because he was fighting to defend widows.
He said he had no regrets about losing his job in the manner he did. Shongwe said Effie was a widow and he had committed himself to defending people in her position at all times.

The former minister and senator said during his time as a minister, he was often referred to as ‘litsemba lebafelokati.’ “I will continue to defend the defenceless. I will continue to fight the cause of widows. The day I chose Jesus Christ I knew I must emulate him and help those who cannot help themselves and those who cannot defend themselves. I will always defend widows when I get the opportunity to,” said Shongwe.

Shongwe quoted the book of Isaiah 1 verse17 which reads: “Take pleasure in well-doing; let your ways be upright, keep down the cruel, give a right decision for the child who has no father, see the cause of the widow.”
He cautioned those who took advantage of widows to stop doing so because at the end of the day, there wasa price to pay for what they did.
Shongwe said God would answer for the widows who were taken advantage of as He had already done for Effie.

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