PUPIL SHOT 4 TIMES IN SCHEME FEUD

HLANE – A 17-year-old Dlalisile National High School Form V pupil’s future hangs in the balance after he was shot four times last Saturday.

The shooting, it has been alleged, emanated from a long feud between two factions of a sugarcane scheme under Takhamuti Farmers Association, situated at Mathangeni area near the Hlane Royal Residence. Nsika Malambe is supposed to sit for his Mathematic Paper I examination this morning but that might not be possible as he has been admitted to Good Shepherd Catholic Hospital. It was gathered that the pupil was shot with a rifle by a known man, working for the sugar cane scheme company.

This, it was alleged, was after the pupil and his friends had gone to the company’s premises to ask for water to quench their thirst as it was hot on the day. Interviewed on his hospital bed, Nsika said doctors told him that there were four bullets that were still lodged in his leg.

Rifle

“When we entered the yard, one of the guards with a rifle came out of an office and we ran for cover. I only remember my leg becoming heavy and being told that I had been shot,” he said. The Form V pupil said he was not sure if he would be afforded the chance to write today’s exam paper as he was currently admitted to the hospital. According to a senior resident of the area and a relative, Bongani Mdluli, they were trying to ascertain what led to the shooting of the pupil.

“Our worry is that now the guards at the company carry a gun which is perplexing to everyone as we were not aware,” he said. Mdluli claimed the shooting emanated from the long standing feud after a breakaway group of farmers formed their own committee from the legitimate known elected committee by the farmers when they were relocated from their land.
The senior resident confided that the matter had been in and out of the courts for a long time. He said they were relocated from their land at Ndzaleni area to the new compound, at Mathangeni area around 2012.

Relocated

Mdluli said about 72 households were relocated from the Ndzaleni area and three-bedroom houses were built for the families. He also claimed that after the relocation, they called a meeting, whereby they encouraged all the households to join and contribute the mandatory E500 joining fee, to the sugar cane scheme but about 20 were against the project. “The farmers were made to contribute E500 for the formation of the scheme and the European Union (EU) assisted to financially kick-start the sugar cane project in 2013. We joined the scheme but about 20 people if not less didn’t and we continued to seek financial help from the EU. Our first harvesting took place in 2013 and our members received dividends of E13 000 each,” he said.

Mdluli claimed that some of the members registered their children on their behalf in the scheme. He said it was unfortunate that after seeing the success and benefits of the scheme, those who shunned joining it turned against them and sought legal recourse yet they did that on their own accord. He further claimed that the 72 members had not been receiving dividends for the past eight years. “We had called a meeting for the members on Saturday but it could not go on due to that some members were held up in other commitments. We wanted to find collective contributions from the members and come up with a way forward,” he said.

Gawula Nkentjane, who said he was the legitimate chairman of the sugar cane scheme, said they were still consulting on the matter. Nkentjane alleged that the other faction used people who claimed to be close to royalty to ensure that they were intimidated. “We are still pursuing the matter and it is unfortunate that it has reached a stage whereby our children have to be shot,” he said.

Implicated

Gadla Thwala, who has also been implicated in the matter as someone who facilitated the ushering of the new committee, confirmed knowledge of the matter but clarified that the former chairman fell sick hence he was told a new chairman was elected. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Phindile Vilakati confirmed the matter.
Vilakati said police had arrested a suspect in connection with the offence. She said the police also confiscated the gun used in the commission of the crime. The suspect is expected to appear at the Siteki Magistrate Court this morning.

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