Home | News | COURT ORDERS PHAKAMA’S 4 CHILDREN TO REMOVE CHAINS, LOCKS

COURT ORDERS PHAKAMA’S 4 CHILDREN TO REMOVE CHAINS, LOCKS

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MBABANE – The High Court yesterday ordered four children of the late businessman Richard ‘Phakama’ Dlamini to remove all the chains and locks on the businessman’s premises.

The order against Nhlanhla Dlamini, Sanele Dlamini, Zama Dlamini and Ntombi Dlamini comes after Muzi Dlamini moved an urgent application.

Judge Maseko also interdicted and restrained the four or anyone acting on their behest from interfering or disturbing the operations. The interim order was granted by Judge Nkosinathi Maseko and appearing for the applicant was Fezile Ndlovu of L.R Mamba and Associates.

On Monday, operations reportedly grinded to a halt on Phakama’s business premises in Malkerns as the estate battle between the late businessman’s children heated up.

Faction

The businessman died about seven years ago and a faction of his 29 children stormed their father’s businesses at Malkerns at about 3am to ensure that no one came in or out. The affected businesses included; buses, two shops leased out to tenants and an office. 

The late businessman had four wives and 29 children; however, one of the wives passed on.  

A source said the siblings said they received information that one of their brothers, claimed that their late father owned 50 per cent share in the businesses; Phakama Investment, and he (brother) owned 20 per cent, while his mother owned 30 per cent of the shares. He said they came there to demand documents to prove the claims that their late father had 50 per cent shares and that the other half was shared by their brother and his mother. 

The source said since it had been about seven years since their father passed on, the estate had not been distributed and their families, especially their mothers, were allegedly struggling.

“They said they wanted the documents so that they could fast track the process of distributing the estate,” the source said.

In that regard, he said their plan, which they implemented, was to halt the operations of the businesses in a bid to force their brother to furnish them with the documents. 

Drivers

It was gathered that when bus drivers and conductors reported for work in the morning, they were allegedly told that the buses would not be working. As a result, they returned to their respective places of residence.

Later on, the source said the brother in question showed up and had a confrontation with his siblings. 

As a result, the brother in question allegedly went to report the matter at Malkerns Police Station and law enforcers were deployed at the late businessman’s businesses.

He said the siblings allegedly spent the better part of Monday at their late father’s businesses and ensured that operations were grounded. 

The source also alleged that the siblings claimed that their mothers were supposed to be getting at least E2 500 per month, but they never received it since their father died in December 2013. 

“They claimed that last week, their mothers approached their brother to request money for farming, but they returned home empty-handed,” the source claimed.

Meanwhile, one of the executors, Ntombi Dlamini, who was also found at the scene, said they were working hard to try and address the matter. It is worth noting that recently, the master of the High Court ruled that the spouses of the late businessman should get equal shares from his estate. This was after one of his wives; the late Sarah Buhlungu Dlamini nee Kunene, moved an application in the court seeking an order declaring the businessman’s marriage to the second, third and fourth wives bigamous and, therefore, null and void. 

The master also contended that the interpretation of the judgment in relation to the estate of the late businessman recognised all the spouses in terms of Swazi Law and Custom.

The late Phakama owned a fleet of buses among other properties and had assets which include 50 per cent shares in Phakama Investment, 50 per cent in Sigwaca Holdings and about E360 000 cash in the bank. 

The deceased’s immovable assets totalled E3 811 000 while his movable assets totalled E952 750 according to the first liquidation and distribution account in his estate.

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