Times Of Swaziland: EX-PRIME MINISTER   OBED DLAMINI DIES

EX-PRIME MINISTER   OBED DLAMINI DIES
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  BY SIBONGILE SUKATI on 19/01/2017 00:07:00


MBABANE – Swaziland has lost one of its greatest statesmen in former Prime
Minister Obed Mfanyana Dlamini.
Dlamini passed away in a South African hospital on Tuesday after being admitted
for about three weeks.
He died at the age of 79 and would have turned 80 on April 4 this year.
The former PM was a member of Liqoqo which is the King’s Advisory Council.
His death was confirmed by Mandla Dlamini, who is the Liqoqo secretary.
“We were informed by one of his children of his demise and we are still in
shock as we had just checked on how he was doing on Tuesday,” said Mandla.
Condolences have already started pouring in for former PM, who was the head of
government during the Fifth Parliament as he was appointed by His Majesty King
Mswati on July 12, 1989 and stepped down four years later on October 25, 1993.
The current PM, Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, has on behalf of the King, Queen
Mother, government and the nation, conveyed deep condolences to Obed’s family
during this time of grief.
The erstwhile PM had been sickly for quite sometime after he suffered a stroke
in September 2014, but it could not be established how he died.
Mandla said they were still saddened and shocked by the news and could not add
more.
After suffering from the stroke, Dlamini (Obed) failed to go to work and had
been bedridden for a while.
He succeeded Sotsha Dlamini as PM and in 2009 was appointed into Liqoqo, a
position he held until his demise.