OUTCRY OVER PIGG’S PEAK/BULANDZENI COMPENSATION

PIGG’S PEAK – What criteria did the Ministry of Public Works and Transport use to compensate property owners affected in the Pigg’s Peak/Bulandzeni road construction?

This is the question disgruntled property owners are asking after what they termed as an unfair evaluation of their structures. The ministry has been in the process of compensating the property owners whose structures will be affected by the road which is expected to run from Bulembu to a place known as Magoga, via Bulandzeni.

There are concerns, however, that some of the properties were undervalued, while others are said to have been overvalued. In some instances, houses made from stick and mud were valued higher than brick structures.

store

One such incident is of a grocery store known as Thandabantu General Dealers or locally referred to as ‘KaManyosi’, which was valued at about E65 000 while three stick and mud structures were valued at E78 000. The grocery store is said to be owned by a family which occupies some land nearby.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, some of the family members said they were shocked to discover that the property was valued at about E65 000.
They said they will lose more than the property as they would also have to vacate the land.

Sipho Magongo, who is also from the family, when reached for comment, said according to his knowledge, they had requested that the ministry should instead rebuild the shop instead of them accepting the cash payout. He said it would be impossible to build the same type of shop using the E65 000. The family did not accept the payout.

Another businessman is said to have been offered about E400 000 but he is said to have requested that a private evaluator redo the evaluation.
The private evaluator is said to have come up with a value of E800 000.
Some of the residents are now accusing the businessman of delaying their payouts as he is said to have refused to sign. When attempts were made to reach him, he asked to respond at another time, citing medical reasons and stating that he was sickly at the time.

evaluation

A vendor who sells wares along the path where the road is to be constructed, was offered E840 each for her two structures. When asked if she would accept this, she said she would not oppose the evaluation. “I may have to relocate,” she said.
She admitted though that building the structures elsewhere would cost more than the money she was being offered. According to information obtained, property owners will only be compensated for their structures and not the land. This is because the land on which the structures were built is Swazi Nation Land (SNL).

The structures were first evaluated and communication was sent through to owners to find out whether they agreed to this or not. Owners who agreed to the evaluation had to indicate by signing, which then gave the ministry the authority to issue the funds.
Some of the letters in this publication’s possession state that ‘in terms of the Road and Outspans Act No. 40 of 1931 and the Acquisition of Property Act No. 10 of 1961, you are hereby advised that your property as described above is to be expropriated by the government of Swaziland (Eswatini) for the purpose of incorporating it into the road reserve of the Pigg’s Peak-Bulandzeni Road (MR2)’.

The letters also state the amounts which are to be given to the property owners but some of them are not pleased with the figures.

properties

The Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Makhosini Mndawe, when asked about the evaluations, said the properties were valuated individually.
He said though some may complain, one property could not be the same value as that of their neighbour, hence the differences.
Mndawe also revealed that the compensation was part of the process for the construction of the road which will run through Pigg’s Peak via Bulandzeni to Magoga. He said the construction of the road will also bring improvement to the surrounding communities and that it will be a relief for motorists.

The PS said the road will reduce user costs for motorists because it will be an improved road as opposed to the current situation. In the past, motorists, particularly transport operators, had complained about their vehicles getting damaged due to the poor road.
This, however, will be a thing of the past as a tarred road will ensure smooth operation.

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