BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini calls upon the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to start consultations so that Siphofaneni can be declared a town.
The premier said this on Thursday last week (August 8, 2024) when he opened a service centre at Siphofaneni Inkhundla. Dlamin clearly declared that Siphofaneni was now a town, hence the negotiations needed to start in order to formally transform the place.
“Angikusho nje emini libalele kutsi siyatsandza, noma asitsandzi, sesisedolobheni la,” Dlamini said in SiSwati, stating that whether people liked it or not, Siphofaneni was now a town.
Many of the residents of that place believe that the peri-urban place only needs to be declared by Government as one of the urban areas, with a local government being put in place to oversee the area. Siphofaneni has proven to be busy place over the years, with town-like features such as a bus rank mushrooming with each year passing by.
The wishes of these many residents of that area have also been confirmed by Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini, who clearly declared that Siphofaneni was a town. However, it is important to state that consultations need to take place first before the place can be declared as a town. The Housing Ministry will have to consult with important people who live in and/or nearby Siphofaneni, who might depend on the town, if it finally comes to reality.
Dlamini said people such as chiefs who are in and around the area might need to be consulted before any transformation could be done. Siphofaneni is a place within Madlenya Chiefdom, under the leadership of Chief Mgwagwa Gamedze. When the issue of the transformation of that place was raised on Thursday, Gamedze was also there and he shed some light on the matter.
Gamedze told Dlamini that plans of transforming Siphofaneni into a town were made a long time ago because the people in that area saw that the place was developing at a fast pace. He said even the boundaries of the town were marked such that it was known where the town was going to end. He stated that at the time, the townships were going to be referred to as ‘chiefdom administered townships.’
Siphofaneni is situated at the southern part of Lubombo Region and the town is within the Madlenya Chiefdom. Siphofaneni is also one of the 59 constituencies the country has, and it is part of the 11 of those that are situated in the Lubombo Region. Situated about 45 kilometres from Manzini and about 20 kilometres from Big Bend, the place has become major sugarcane-producing town on the main highway leading to Durban. It has a tropical climate, very hot during summer and cold in winter.
The Siphofaneni Constituency has seven chiefdoms, including Madlenya, KaMkhweli, Ngevini, Tambuti, Mphumakudze, Maphilingo, and Nceka. Siphofaneni is also a neighbour to constituencies such as Sithobela, Gilgal, Nkilongo and others. The people living in such areas are expected to form part of Siphofaneni’s sphere of influence.
