By Zweli Martin Dlamini

Constitutionally,women,married or not, have a right to land.

With the growing number of homesteads owned by women in the rural areas,we need to applaud and encourage Chiefs who uphold the Supreme Law of the land.

It should be noted that oppression in the country comes in many ways,culturally religiously,socially economically and politically.

In terms of Customary Law,women were oppressed and deprived their right to land,unmarried women were forced to,at least,apply for the land(kukhonta)through their sons.

It is such traditional and or cultural practices that undermined the dignity of women and reduced them to be subjects of men.

Forcing a woman to get married or give birth to a baby boy to qualify for the ownership of land was the highest level of oppression.

Women have no power to force men into marriage, even if they get pregnant, it’s not within their powers to manipulate nature and decide whether the baby should be a girl or a boy.

Therefore, Chiefs who still deprive women access to land on the basis that they are not married or failed to give birth to a baby boy,should desist from this oppressive tendency.

Furthermore, the tendency of grabbing land from widows by Inner Councils  (bobandlancane) must stop, we expect traditional Councils to protect vulnerable widows and orphans.

When a man and or head of the family dies, the ownership of the land is automatically transferred to the widow and children.

In the event the woman secured the land as a single parent, the land is automatically inherited by the children.