CHIEF Felix Ndiweni’s brother, who is accused of disturbing the Isiphala seNkosi programme after allegedly stopping Umguza District Development Fund (DDF) from tilling the traditional leader’s fields, on Thursday defended his actions, saying he did so because the piece of land belonged to him.
BY SILAS NKALA
Chief Ndiweni, of Ntabazinduna in Matabeleland South, took his brother, Douglas, to court, accusing him of blocking the Isiphala seNkosi programme.
Douglas is alleged to have contravened Section 48 of the Traditional Leaders Act by hindering the chief from executing his duties.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Batanai Tuwe yesterday and the matter was remanded to Monday for continuation.
In his defence, Douglas submitted he did not stop the tractor driver from tilling the chief’s fields, but the land in question belonged to him.
He said he was given the field by his late father some time ago and the land had been in his possession for the past 10 years and he was utilising it.
“The fields have never been and are not part of the Isiphala seNkosi programme. I only stopped the DDF driver from ploughing my fields,” he submitted before praying for acquittal. The two men are both sons of the late Chief Khayisa Ndiweni.
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Allegations against Douglas are that on November 15 last year, he stopped tillage driver Lasiten Banda, who had gone to the fields to start tilling in Chief Ndiweni’s fields.
It is the State’s case that by so doing, Douglas obstructed Chief Ndiweni from performing his duties as a chief under the Isiphala seNkosi programme.
