MBABANE:King Mswati has through the Commissioner of Mines Dr Noah Nhleko, ordered the halting of operations at Ngwenya Mine, he is demanding proper documentation of his multibillion shareholding.
An independent investigation conducted by this publication uncovered documents suggesting that on Monday, the Commissioner of Mines who was allegedly acting on behalf of the King, wrote to Mwelase Mining Eswatini(Pty) Ltd demanding answers regarding the King’s shares.
In the letter, Commissioner stated categorically that, the operations cannot continue in the absence of a resolution clarifying or documenting the King’s shares and that of his Government.
“Notwithstanding the failure to address this issue, we have noted that Mwelase has resumed mining operations and is transporting iron ore dumps to Mpaka siding.The above conduct is a serious breach of the Notarial Mining Lease as the Board of Mwelase is not properly constituted, and therefore no person, including Mr. Ndlovu, is authorised to act on behalf of the Board.Furthermore, no share certificates have been issued to the Ingwenyama and Eswatini Government as prescribed in the Notarial Mining Lease and section 133(5) of the Mines and Minerals Act, 2011, which provides that; a mining license granted under this Act has no effect until the share interest arrangement provided for by sub-section(1) and(2) has been put into place”, reads the letter in part, dated 24th February 2025.
Responding to this Swaziland News on Wednesday evening, King Mswati’s Spokesperson Percy Simelane said, the Commissioner of Mines “has powers to stop operations” at Ngwenya Mine amid unresolved issues.
“Our experience is that it is within the powers of the Commissioner to take a decision on a Mine operation if there is disorder and report to the King what he has done on his behalf.The King does not necessarily have to tell him when to edit or spike a Mine operation,” said the King’s Spokesperson.
Dr. Noah Nhleko,the Commissioner of Mines had not responded to our questionnaire at the time of compiling this report.
Reached for comments on Thursday morning, Victor Ndlovu, the Managing Director of Mwelase Mining Eswatini(Pty) Ltd confirmed that, operations have been halted within the Ngwenya Mine but promised to comply and address the issues raised by the Mining Board.
“It’s true, we are currently addressing and complying with the concerns raised by the Mining Board so that we can resume operations,” said the Managing Director.
It has been disclosed that,the King through the Commissioner of Mines, demanded twenty-five percent(25%) shares in his capacity as Ingwenyama and extra 25% for his Government, this means Mwelase Mining Eswatini(Pty) Ltd holds 50% shares.
The King, directly or indirectly, holds shares worth billions in giant companies in the telecommunications, construction, agriculture, tourism, mining and other industries.
Operations at Ngwenya Mine have been halted as King Mswati demands shares.