Mhaule tribal officials are allegedly involved in extortion with regards to a disputed thoroughfare.

This has led to the closure of the Shabalala Interpretation of Culture Centre (SICC); once regarded as a beacon of hope, attracting international tourists and boosting the local economy.

The SICC, near Hazyview, has over the past five years of its existence played a major role in creating employment opportunities and supporting local communities.

A dispute arose after residents living next to the SICC demanded access to a road passing through the property.

Despite the fact that the centre had been built before the houses on the other side of the river, community members claim the facility was built on a route they are entitled to use.

According to SICC manager Jabulile Masinga, the matter was reported to the Mhaule Traditional Council to mediate the land demarcation dispute between the parties.

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“However, we were informed that we needed to pay a certain amount of money for them to favour us. That was unfair, as we bought the land legally. We then decided that the centre should remain closed until the matter is resolved. We have opened a case of extortion at the Hazyview Police Station,” she explained.

“The main purpose of the centre was to work with the community to create jobs and tourism opportunities for local people,” Masinga said.

“The closure has also affected township and village tours, which benefited many locals. Tourists bought from local vendors and visited households where they learned about daily village life.

Young and old people who were unemployed benefited, including taxi operators who transported guests,” Masinga explained.

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The SICC created about 50 jobs and supported many small businesses in the area. “We created jobs for locals and procured everything locally.

When we had guests, we would hire local traditional dancers to entertain them; they were paid and also received tips from tourists.

Now the very same community members want us to close our gates so they can open a road that would not bring any opportunities,” she said.

Masinga called on the traditional council and community members to work together to find a solution to keep the centre operational.

“There are alternative routes people can use besides the one passing through the centre, but they are only interested in the one crossing our property. We have engaged the traditional council and ward councillor, and hope the matter will be resolved,” she added.

SICC founder Goodman Nkosi said the closure comes at a critical time.

“We were supposed to attend Africa’s Travel Indaba, but now we have nothing to showcase because the community, together with so-called illegal indunas, teamed up with some locals to close the centre. I understand people want a road, but why choose a place that boosts the local economy and creates jobs? We believe that if this issue is resolved, the centre still has a lot to offer,” he said.

Several community members voiced their opposition to the closure. “Closing the SICC for a road while there are alternative routes is not fair at all.

The centre is the only beacon of hope we have in this area, because many other tourism businesses do not benefit local people,” one said.

The community also demands that the traditional council resolve the matter as soon as possible. The Mhaule Tribal Authority was not available for comment by the time of publication.