By Bahle Gama
A man has accused his stepmother and half-siblings of excluding him from the winding-up process of his father’s estate.
Appearing before the Judicial Commission of Inquiry, Lucky Dlamini said after their father Peter Jabu Dlamini died in 2004, he and his sister Busi were appointed as co-executors of the estate.
However, when Dlamini died the family never got along such that Lucky never attended his funeral because he was allegedly shunned by Busi and her mother who is their father’s surviving spouse.
Lucky said that even though he had been appointed as a co-executor he was always excluded in the process by Busi and the family, further stating that he has never received anything from the estate.
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“Only the children born in the marriage received something from the estate, those of us who are illegitimate received nothing,” he said.
He stated that of the 12 children Dlamini left behind, eight were born out of his marriage with Busi’s mother.
Lucky further alluded that land at Nhlangano where his stepmother’s homestead is built was put in their father’s will to be sold and have the money distributed amongst the beneficiaries.
He stated that his father had left behind other homesteads built on Swazi nation Land one of which his stepmother was entitled to, therefore saw no reason for her to keep the title deed land at Nhlangano.
His sister Busi told the Commission that when their father died, he had no cash left behind and had to pay some of his debts with portions of the plots at Nhlangano according to the will.
She said she took the initiative to portion the land and have it sold to specific parties, leaving a porting of the land with her mother’s house and orchard to remain.
She stated that one of the homes in the SNL is at Mahamba which had been sought after by her mother with the intent to utilise it for farming purposes.
“However, when our father was pensioned, he requested from my mother to use that land to build a home for the children that mushroomed after the marriage and she agreed,” she said.
Busi stated that when their father died there was no proper structure and their father’s will requested that part of the money made from the sale of the plots at Nhlangano and other movable items should be used to build a proper structure for the children.
She stated that there was not much that was made from the sale and with the assistance of her husband she managed to build her out-of-marriage siblings a two-bedroom house at Mahamba.
Busi further expressed her heartbreak over her brother’s allegations and stated that he was part of every process adding that no money had been distributed to anyone, therefore he was crying foul over non-existing distributions.
Assistant Master Thobile Maziya told the Commission that the estate remained unwinded for such a long time because Dlamini’s widow objected to the liquidation of the plot at Nhlangano because it took away her home.
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She further stated that a lawyer identified as Mduduzi Masuku signed the distribution account on behalf of Busi and Lucky.
‘However, we are unsure whether they were together when they prepared the distribution because that is the procedure for executors. Also, the letters of administration include both,” Maziya said.
The Commission ordered that the office of the Master of the High Court should consult with the Attorney General and find a solution.
especially on the issue of a trust which is supposed to be made of what remains unsold in Dlamini’s estate.
