ELECTIONS: MKHITSINI RESIDENTS FEEL NEGLECTED

NHLANGANO – Some Mkhitsini residents say they feel their area is being neglected and fear missing out on the upcoming national elections, more especially after the collapse of their traditional leadership structures.

In an interview with some of the residents, they highlighted that currently, there was a civic voter education exercise that was ongoing countrywide. They said they were seeing other areas surrounding their community being visited by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) for the said exercise, but so far, nothing had been communicated to them about the exercise. They said usually, such activities were done through the assistance of the umphakatsi but for them, it seemed hard as they had no existing umphakatsi.

Nephew

Mkhitsini Umphakatsi was set alight by residents in 2021 after the area’s Chief, Mfukama Mndzebele, shot dead his nephew in a land dispute. Mdzebele was arrested and convicted of murder. His entire family was sent packing by the angry residents, who burnt his homestead. A few months later, the area’s Indvuna Mbongeleni Vilakati was also shot dead. Following the death of Vilakati, members of the inner council (bandlancane) were also attacked, such that one of them (Secretary to bandlancane David Ngwenya) had his home set alight as well, forcing his family to seek refuge in other areas. The residents mentioned that they were aware that after the arrest of the chief and the death of the indvuna, the Shiselweni Regional Administrator’s (RA) Offices promised to take over the leadership of the area in the interim. The residents said, however, no one from the RA’s Office had ever met them as residents to this date regarding issues that may be affecting them as a community.

They said that this was an indication that they were on their own. One of the residents, *Jubela said they felt neglected whereas not all of them were part of the disputes in the area. He said they also wanted to be involved in the national activities such as the elections as they were still citizens of this country. Jubela said following the death of the chief, the level of crime had increased exponentially, coupled with mob killings that had been happening in the area. Last month, a Jericho priest at Mkhitsini was killed by a mob from the area. Mkhitsini Bucopho Samkelo Nzima concurred with the residents that things were hard in the area as everyone was now a law unto themselves. He said the residents needed to be reminded that despite everything that happened, the law was still there and applicable to everyone living in this country.

Nzima said it was hard living at Mkhitsini because people were killing each other and police were having difficulties in working around the area. He opined that the RA should keep his promise and meet the residents in order to find a way forward in terms of making the area peaceful again. He said a lot of things were getting ruined at Mkhitsini as everyone was doing as they pleased, without being reprimanded. Nzima noted that the RA promised to meet the residents way back in 2021, but still that meeting had not taken place and it seemed the RA as well was scared or reluctant to go to that area.

Exercise

On the ongoing voter education exercise, Nzima said their community was part of the many communities forming Shiselweni II Inkhundla and they were aware that some of those communities had the chance to be educated on the elections but nothing had happened in the area yet. He said he would check with the EBC if there were plans to visit the area for the same purpose. Nzima said there were some of the Mndzebele elders whom he was reporting to and he would often meet them under a tree. He said the challenge was that these elders were not that close to the chief prior to his incarceration. When sought for comment, Shiselweni RA Peter Mamba referred this reporter to Ludzidzini Council Chairman Chief Mdlaka Gamedze as the rightful person to respond on issues pertaining to Mkhitsini residents.

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