Times Of Swaziland: DPM OFFICE US TRANSFERRED

DPM OFFICE US TRANSFERRED
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Mthunzi Maziya on 06/06/2022 08:46:00


MBABANE – Under Secretary (US) in the Deputy Prime Minister’s (DPM) Office
Hlobisile Dlamini has been transferred to another ministry.
This, it is expected, will settle stormy waters at the DPM’s Office following
a spat between the US and Principal Secretary (PS), Makhosini Mndawe. The
quarrel between the two threatened to derail the administrative capacity of the
DPM’s Office. So tense was the situation at the DPM’s Office such that
Dlamini (US) filed an application in court to prevent the PS from presiding over
a disciplinary process that had been instituted against her.  In her court
papers, Dlamini alleged that Mndawe’s conduct towards her had led to the work
environment at the DPM’s Office being untenable. She alleged that because of
Mndawe’s behaviour, she was constantly depressed and dragged herself to work
daily. Deputy Prime Minister, Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku, in an interview
yesterday afternoon, confirmed that the US had called him to state that she
would be leaving. He said she promised to come to him for a formal farewell, but
he had been told that the correspondence from the Civil Service Commission (CSC)
had arrived at his office on Friday afternoon.
Leaving
“I can confirm that she would be leaving as per her assertion, and what I am
told by officials in my office. However, I would not be in a position to confirm
whether she would be going to the Home Affairs Minstry or another government
department,” Masuku said. The row between Mndawe and Dlamini is said to have
emanated from newspaper headlines to the effect that there had been E10 million
fraud at the DPM’s Office. In her court papers, Dlamini cited headlines that
read ‘E10 million maladministration: DPM’s Office rocked by fraud
scandal’, and ‘E10 million fraud, rot at DPM’s Office’. Dlamini alleged
that these articles were published at the instance of Mndawe, in a bid to
tarnish her name. She said the articles implied that she was responsible for the
alleged fraud of E10 million, further disputing that no fraud ever occurred at
the DPM’s Office. Efforts were made to get a comment from the US yesterday
afternoon. She was first called around 4:15pm, then again at 5:16pm. The last
call was placed to Dlamini’s mobile phone number at 5:53pm.
Asleep
At the first instance, a female answered the call and said the US was asleep.
The receiver was then asked to record this journalist’s mobile phone number so
that when the US woke up, she could return the call. However, after a few
moments, the line was dropped, unceremoniously. A text message was then sent to
the US at 5:16pm. She responded at 5:59, asking how she could be of assistance
to this reporter. She was asked to shed light on her purported transfer to the
Home Affairs Ministry, Dlamini responded as follows; “Home Affairs? May I
refer you to the CSC Chair (Chairman). I’m not aware.” Principal Secretary
in the DPM’s Office, Mndawe, confirmed that his office received correspondence
from the CSC affirming Dlamini’s transfer to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
“I can confirm receipt of the correspondence from the CSC, and the US’s move
to Home Affairs. There is nothing else I can add,” he said.
Both Masuku and Mndawe said the correspondence arrived at the DPM’s Office on
Friday afternoon. However, the CSC’s Chairman, Simanga Mamba, said all he knew
was that there was a request from the principal secretary at the Ministry of
Public Service to have some under secretaries transferred. “By nature, under
secretaries are senior government officials. It is only the PS at Public Service
that can make a request for their transfer. We shall be deliberating on this
list today,” he said.