Prior to her appointment as the Registrar, Sikhondze was a Conveyancer for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy since the year 2016.
By Ntokozo Nkambule
The Registrar of Deeds position in the country has been held by three different people in the last two years.
Khulile Sikhondze was appointed on the 3rd of May 2022 by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy to be the country’s Registrar of Deeds. Sikhondze succeeds Lindile Manzini who was appointed last year on a one-year contract. Manzini was appointed following the departure of Thabiso Masina who left to join the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) in January 2021.
Sikhondze is undoubtedly one of the best people suited for the job following that she has been a Conveyancer for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy since the year 2016. Sikhondze confirmed that she has been permanently hired for the position compared to her predecessor who was hired on a temporary basis.
The Deeds Registry Office is responsible for the registration, management, and maintenance of property registries in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
In actual fact, Manzini in an interview noted that she was brought in to show Sikhondze the ‘ropes’ as she had already retired when offered a one-year contract by the Ministry. “If you recall my appointment last year was meant to help the incumbent person who would hold the position of Registrar of Deeds as I had the requisite experience. But as we speak I am at home and happy that I have played my part”
Sikhondze said that she is excited but also quite overwhelmed as this is an important position and comes with a lot of responsibility. “I look forward to the responsibility and I am excited, most especially because it comes at a time when the country has operationalized the Sectional Titles Act, which will transform the lives of emaSwati”