MANGWANENI REGISTRATION ABANDONED

MANGWANENI - Relief grant donors had to abandon their task to register beneficiaries who are residents of Mangwaneni during a verification process following a conflict between the authorities of the area.

The relief grant was intended to be E140 per head. Tempers flared as the area’s Induvuna Yenkhundla Mlondi Dlamini, Bucopho Vusi Kunene and Umphakatsi Overseer Mlungisi Dlamini did not reach common ground of where the verification exercise should be held.

Plain-clothes police officers, who were present, had to call for back-up as tension arose during the discussion between the authorities, while community members sat at a distance.

This follows that the three centres approved by the area’s bucopho to conduct the registration and screening of residents, who will benefit from the relief grant, which included Baha’i, Mangwaneni Primary School and the soup kitchen, were not approved by the community leaders.

Recalled 

The residents were recalled at the last minute to gather at the royal kraal after some of the community members voiced their dissatisfaction on the registering of people who were not from the area. 

Some community members, who had gathered at the soup kitchen and Baha’i were called to the royal kraal, where the exercise was to be undertaken. 

However, despite the residents finally gathering at the royal kraal, the meeting had to be cancelled yesterday.

The gathering, which was scheduled to begin at 9am, was delayed and ended up being postponed after the dissenting views that resulted in World Vision officials leaving without rendering their services to allow residents to resolve the dispute. 

Dlamini and Kunene, who are the area’s Indvuna and bucopho respectively, were against the registering process taking place at the umphakatsi, suggesting that the process should take place at a neutral venue, preferably at the constituency. 

It should be noted that there is an ongoing dispute at Mangwaneni, on whether the area is under the royal kraal or the Municipal Council of Mbabane.

However, the umphakatsi overseer, Mlungisi, said following some irregularities which were discovered, community members approached him requesting to meet at the royal kraal for transparency. 

Trust

He said the residents did not trust those entrusted with registering the beneficiaries. 

Mlungisi said by virtue of the event being held at a central venue, which was at the royal kraal, the community would be able to spot those who were not from the area and undeserving community members who were not destitute. 

“There are destitute people at Mangwaneni who need food aid and postponing would be delaying the provision of the much needed aid,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mlondi said they had requested Kunene to identify the areas where the people could gather but there was a group of people who were against that and incited violence.

Responding, Kunene (bucopho) said division was created by Mlungisi’s interference in development projects for the area. 

He noted that there were people who had strong reasons for not coming to the royal kraal. 

“There are those who due to their religious beliefs did not set foot at the royal kraal, while widows and women wearing pants were not allowed to enter,” the bucopho said.

He stated that it was for the above reasons that they did not use the royal kraal when attending to development issues.

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