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IS ACC HUNTING THE HUNTERS?

16/06/2024 15:34:00 Editor

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It has been interesting to note the enthusiasm displayed by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in pursuing the truth regarding how Funduzi Forensic Services was engaged to investigate irregularities in the procurement of medical drugs.

As things stand, the ACC is practically investigating the investigator. This is akin to what they say about the jungle; that even there, there are those who hunt the hunters. As we are all aware, the ACC recently wrote to Auditor General (AG) Timothy Matsebula, giving his office seven days to release all the documents that were used in awarding Funduzi Forensic Services the tender to investigate irregularities in the procurement of medical drugs and supplies.Lest we forget, the Funduzi report, which was tabled by Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg, when he presented his 2024/2025 Budget Speech, unearthed a lot of rot, giving us as a nation an idea of where the never-ending medical drugs shortage emanates from.
This shortage of medicine and supplies has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of emaSwati whose lives would have otherwise been saved.

Fingers were being pointed, with some leaders being accused of spending all the money meant to keep public hospitals and clinics fully stocked up. Now we know better. Unfortunately, the shortage continues to this day, as the relevant structures continue pointing fingers at one another and taking each other to court for one thing or another. Funduzi Director Zakhele Dlamini has lamented these events as unfortunate, stating categorically that his company had nothing to hide.

Investigation

He says in their investigation assignment, they worked without fear or favour. He has also noted that his company is being attacked for doing its job while the ‘real culprits’ are walking scot free. According to him, the real culprits are those who illegally benefitted millions of Emalangeni to cripple the health sector.One is mindful of the fact that these matters are littered with legal implications and delving deep into them at this particular moment could be a bit tricky. So I shall not. However, one would be happy to see the ACC’s zealousness in investigating this particular matter extending to the other cases before it. We know there are many corruption cases that have remained unsolved for years.

One hopes the commission has simply woken up from its slumber and will now be pursuing all those who are corrupt, including those implicated in the very same Funduzi Forensic Services report. We now know who has been stealing drugs or taking money from public coffers but failing to deliver. These are the people we want to see being pursued diligently and placed behind bars. This would at least appease the spirits of all the emaSwati who have died as a result of the man-made shortage of drugs and medical supplies.

The main goal of the ACC cannot and should not just be to investigate the consultant who unearthed all the rot. The ACC has not yet proven itself as efficient in dealing with corruption. That is why this is still a matter that even the head of State is worried about. His Majesty the King has always mentioned corruption in his speeches from the Throne when he officiates at the opening of sessions of Parliament.He has continuously charged Cabinet and other relevant structures with the responsibility of getting rid of this scourge. Again, much like his predecessors before him, Finance Minister Rijkenberg also addresses the question of corruption when delivering his annual budget speech.

Questioned

His most recent one in February this year was more poignant, in light of current events, because it mentioned the Office of the Auditor General (AG). This office is in the news every day these days, with Prime Minister Russell Dlamini having poked a hornets’ nest at the last breakfast meeting with editors, when he questioned the accuracy of its reports. The PM said the AG’s reports on the financial records of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) left a lot to be desired. Dlamini is a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the disaster management parastatal.

In his recent budget speech, Rijkenberg said government was committed to dealing with corruption, money laundering and the financing of terrorist activities in Eswatini. He said the fight against corruption and the other crimes involved ‘the active pursuit of effective prevention and investigative strategies, social re-engineering of attitudes to awaken everyone’s consciousness to the necessity of getting involved and invoke a stance of zero tolerance against corruption’.

The minister said the Office of the Auditor General was the supreme audit institution of the country, with its main mandate being to ensure effectiveness and integrity in the use of public resources. He reminded all and sundry that the AG’s Office played an important role in preventing and detecting corruption. The Economic Review and Outlook Report released in April 2024 by the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development also decries corruption as a social that affects economic growth. Among many other important socio-economic issues, this report delves into employment and unemployment, the number of babies born and people who died.

Achievements

On corruption, which is what we are discussing today, the report says despite achievements made during the National Development Strategy (NDS) period, there are still economic and structural constraints. Some of the economic challenges include a sluggish 3.0 per cent growth rate (between 1997 and 2022), a dominant government presence in the economy and fiscal challenges, as public expenditure rose from 23 per cent in 1997 to 34 per cent of GDP in 2020/2021, as a result of the public service wage bill. Reads the report in part:

“Additionally, there are structural challenges such as rampant corruption (ranked 117 out of 180 in 2020), a decline in the ease of doing business, a deterioration in the quality of education as demonstrated by the Human Development Index (HDI) which has increased by 30 points from 108 in 1997 to 138 and the absence of a coherent land policy.” Corruption was also among the main concerns at the October 2023 People’s Parliament (Sibaya), which means the ACC has its work cut out for it. We will be closely watching how it enthusiastically pursues all those involved in corrupt activities, without fear or favour.