A woman was allegedly beaten with a knobkerrie before her son was forced to physically assault her during a violent attack by a group of men at Lukholweni, kaGasa, on Saturday.
The disturbing incident reportedly unfolded in broad daylight at the centre of a longstanding land dispute between the Msibi clan of kaGasa and kaLiba in the Shiselweni region.
According to sources close to the matter, the violence erupted after a group of men allegedly attacked several community members whom they accused of cutting down fencing erected around a wetland by a faction from kaLiba. The victims were reportedly suspected of vandalising the fence because their homesteads were situated closer to the project.
The fencing reportedly restricted access to water traditionally used by residents of Nkonjane. Community members also claimed that the implementation of the project had resulted in the destruction of crops and property belonging to kaGasa residents.
Among those previously affected were Wandile Mthembu and Noah Ntshakala, who were reportedly also attacked on Saturday.
The incident was confirmed by kaGasa acting Umnumzane Mafonto Msibi, who said the reports brought to his attention indicated that several residents had been assaulted following allegations of damage to the wetland fence.
He explained that although the project was situated within kaGasa, it was known as the KaLiba Wetland Management Project because Liqoqo, the king’s advisory council, had ruled that the disputed area fell under kaLiba, which is under Chief Mlotshwa Dlamini.
Msibi said the ruling remained contested, with the Msibi clan having approached the High Court to challenge the authority and legal effect of the decision.
Recounting Saturday’s violence, Msibi said one family had its door and ceiling vandalised, while a male member was severely assaulted.
At another homestead, an elderly woman and her son were allegedly subjected to a particularly disturbing ordeal by men who claimed to be from kaLiba. “The woman was beaten all over her body with a knobkerrie by the men before her son was forced to physically assault her as well. The woman was made to sleep on the ground facing down and was beaten like a child,” he said.
Msibi described the incident as unprecedented in the community, saying residents were shocked by the alleged treatment of a defenceless elderly woman, particularly the involvement of her own son in the assault.
The Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) were reportedly called to the scene, after which the victims were taken to Hlatikulu Government Hospital for medical attention. They were later treated and discharged. Meanwhile, three men, comprising Noah Ntshakala, Wandile Mthembu and Malungisa Simelane were reportedly taken in by the police.
Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Zwane confirmed that the incident had been reported to the Hlatsi police. However, she said no one was arrested, but the three men were only taken in for questioning.
The latest violence comes amid a legal battle in which the Msibi people of kaGasa are seeking to stop the implementation of a Liqoqo ruling that allegedly placed their area under kaLiba.
In an urgent application that was thrown out by the High Court, kaGasa acting Umnumzane Mafonto Msibi challenged a decision delivered by the Liqoqo on August 19 and reduced to writing on September 24.
He wants the court to declare that the decision is merely advisory to the Ingwenyama and cannot be enforced unless it is considered and endorsed by the king.
