Times Of Swaziland: SOME VOCAL MPS REFUTE GOVT SABOTAGE CLAIMS

SOME VOCAL MPS REFUTE GOVT SABOTAGE CLAIMS
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BY SIBONGILE SUKATI on 27/04/2021 08:11:00


MBABANE – Government is delivering and not sabotaging parliamentarians who are
critical of it.
This is according to a majority of Members of Parliament (MPs) who dismissed
assertions that government is not bringing services to constituencies of
legislators who criticise it. In fact, several MPs have praised government for
what they termed as service delivery on a number of projects which are ongoing
under their various tinkhundla. The MPs have come to government’s
‘defence’ following a leaked audio recording where Nkwene MP Vulimpompi
Nhleko said politicians who were less affluent were not vocal in Parliament
because projects in their constituencies ended up being sabotaged or stopped.
The MP had made the utterances during a community meeting of the completion of a
hall with Buseleni residents, where he submitted that if one spoke out, nothing
would ever be done for their constituencies.  However, several MPs begged to
differ on the issue with one of them, a known government critic being Mhlume MP
Victor Malambe. MP Malambe was one of the most vocal when government tried to
introduce the Bill legalising the licensing of cannabis for medicinal purposes
when he stated that government wanted to destroy the ordinary liSwati by taking
the market away from them.
Hall
However, MP Malambe said this did not stop government from delivering a E2
million community hall project which was currently under construction at Lusoti.
He said this would be a multi-purpose hall and that construction had started in
February this year. MP Malambe said this would not only be used by the pupils to
sit for exams or other things, but that the community would use it as a meeting
area for any other activities.   He highlighted that another project under his
constituency was that of a tractor services hire, where government, through the
Rural Development Fund (RDF), had purchased a tractor complete with implements
for the use of Mafucula residents, which cost around E800 000.
He further stated that in his constituency, there was a recently introduced a
service centre where the members of the public could get documents like
passports. “Through Micro-Projects we have also created three markets at
Simunye, kaNgomane and Mafucula where the women are selling their wares,” said
MP Malambe. He said it was  critical for other MPs including the Executive that
they were not criticising or fighting the Head of  State, but the Executive arm
of government which was tasked with service delivery after being appointed into
their positions.