CJ, QINISILE TO BE NEIGHBOURS

MBABANE – High Court judge, Justice Qinisile Mabuza’s accommodation woes and controversy over where she would stay with her family seem to be over.
She is expected to move into a house that cost government E11 million to build.

This house is located in the newly- completed judges’ complex, in the Dalriach suburbs in Mbabane.
Last week, this publication reported that the house Justice Mabuza currently lives in was marked for demolition, to give way for an undisclosed project that would be undertaken by government soon.
Her house would be demolished together with two others along the Benn Dunn Street, at the All Saints Township, in Mbabane.

Her continued occupancy of the house was now being viewed as a hindrance to an undisclosed project to be undertaken by government.
“The judge was informed weeks ago to move out of the residence but she continues to live in the house,” said a source close to the matter.
The source further informed us that the houses along Benn Dunn Street, including that of Justice Mabuza were sold to a United Nations agency based in the country.
The property was reportedly sold by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

This information was confirmed by Clifford Mamba, who said the property was earmarked for a development which he would not disclose to the public for now.
He said the general expectation was that the judge would have moved out of the residence by now.
The publication can reveal that when she ultimately moves, Justice Mabuza  will be the first neighbour to her boss, Chief Justice Michael Ramodibedi at the luxurious complex that cost government E55 million to build.

Controversy

Last week, the Times SUNDAY reported that there was controversy over where the judge would move to.
This followed a reported offer by government, to accommodate her at the condemned house formerly occupied by former Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku.
Offering some clarity on the issue, Thembinkosi Mamba, Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, said the judge was expected to move into one of the fully completed residences at the judges’ village.
He said this would happen soon because government urgently needed to use the house she was presently living in.

The PS said there was no alternative accommodation that could possibly be offered to the judge other than the house at the judges’ complex.
“Two of the five completed houses have been handed over to government. One of them is occupied by the Chief Justice and the judge has to occupy the other completed house,” he said.
Mamba said he recently wrote a letter to the judiciary, to the effect that Justice Mabuza should move out of the four-bedroom house she presently occupied.

He said he communicated this to the Ministry of Public Service and was informed that there was no alternative accommodation that could be availed to the judge.
“The ministry informed me that it only provided accommodation to both junior and senior public servants, not judges,” he said.
According to information availed to this newspaper, Justice Mabuza’s move to the new house at the judges’ complex would be delayed because keys to her house were with a senior officer within the judiciary.
The officer was, however, reported to be out of the country for an undisclosed number of days.

Meanwhile, Justice Mabuza, in an interview, said she was ready to move.
She said she had packed all her belongings and was waiting for an instruction that would facilitate her move. “I am waiting for keys to the house I will be allocated,” she said.

Opposed

A reliable source says Justice Mabuza would not live in the judges’ complex because she once opposed its construction.
According to the source, the judge once said construction of the houses was not urgent but was costly for government.
“She said instead of building the houses, government should instead construct more courtrooms for judges,” said the source.
The source said the judge had been made aware that she could have a problem moving into the houses whose construction she once opposed.

In an interview on Thursday, Justice Mabuza acknowledged that she once privately expressed her strong views against the project.
“At that time, I felt that we required more courtrooms as judges and therefore, government should have increased the number of courtrooms first,” she said.

The judge said she was more than ready to move into the new complex.
In fact, she said she had already packed her belongings, in preparation for her families’ imminent relocation.

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