By Musa Mdluli
Africa-Press – Eswatini. Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala has vigorously denied colluding with former Minister Lutfo Dlamini in an attempt to steal the late Adolf Ngwenyama’s over R10million Farm in King Mswati’s name.
This comes after exclusively reported that, the Chief Justice directed Master of the High Court Phumzile Thomo to grab the late Adolf Ngwenyama’s eState file at the Assistant Master’s Manzini Region Office, the file is now presided over in Mbabane much against jurisdictional rules.
Children of the late Ngwenyama were allegedly told that their father donated the Farm to Philani Maswati Charity Organization and therefore, they cannot inherit it.
But former Cabinet Minister and Philani Maswati Chairman Lutfo Dlamini when responding to this publication vigorously denied that, the Farm was donated to Philani instead, he said Adolf Ngwenyama donated it His Majesty the King.
“I am aware of the matter but the Farm was not donated to Philani Maswati as alleged, it was donated to the King. You can verify this with the Attorney General, he is in possession of the documents suggesting that, the Farm was donated to the King not Philani Maswati”, said the Philani Maswati Chairman.
Efforts to reach the Attorney General(AG) Sifiso Khumalo proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.
Reached for comments by this publication earlier on Sunday, Percy Simelane, the King’s Spokesperson says he “has no record of the R10million late Adolf Ngwenyama’s Farm” allegedly donated to King Mswati.
But despite denying knowledge of the matter, the King’s Spokesperson clarified that maybe it was due to matter a communication breakdown hence he cannot commit.
“We have no record of the Farm and its alleged donation to the King. We therefore elect not to commit half-headedly lest we contaminate both truths and facts about it. We want to continue to believe that it\’s a question of communication breakdown and the truth shall prevail in the end hopefully,” said the King’s Spokesperson.
But as the story develops, Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala released a press statement on Sunday afternoon, denying any involvement in the attempt to steal the over R10million Farm.
The CJ confirmed in the statement that Adolf Ngwenyama’s file has been transferred to Master of the High Court Head Office in Mbabane but, vigorously denied that the intention was to manipulate it with an alleged intention to steal the Farm.
The Head of the Judiciary consistently maintained that, the decision was procedural not fraudulent or intended to steal the Farm.
But information gathered by this publication suggests that, the Chief Justice was behind the Master of the High Court recent decision stopping Assistant Masters within the Regions to administrate monies or approve withdrawals above fifty thousand Rands(R50,000.00) without the signature of Phumzile Thomo after developing an interest to grab some properties belongjng to deceased emaSwati.
As a result, multimillion eState risk being looted by the Chief Justice who is controlling the Master of the High Court.
Parliament tried to investigate the Master of the High Court Office amid alleged corruption but, Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala stopped the investigation by Members of Parliament(MPs) and went on to establish his own Commission of Inquiry.
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