Times Of Swaziland: LAWYER MNGOMEZULU: LIFT BAN AND I WILL REPAY STUDY LOAN

LAWYER MNGOMEZULU: LIFT BAN AND I WILL REPAY STUDY LOAN
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Nonduduzo Kunene on 06/04/2023 14:01:00


MBABANE – There is a new twist in the matter of Lawyer Sicelo Mngomezulu and
the money he owes government for a scholarship.
The lawyer has come out to state that unless government lifts the ban against
him, he will not repay the E132 000 he owes government in study loan. This comes
after the Scholarship Recovery Consortium on Tuesday reached out to the lawyer,
in an attempt to recover the study loan. Project Coordinator at the consortium
Gugu Simelane said they contacted Mngomezulu on Tuesday. “We have already
contacted him and he provided us with his email address. His study loan
statement has already been sent to him,” she said. Simelane said if it was a
question of him not being contacted, then they expected him to honour his
obligation; given that he had been given full details of the debt through his
statement.
Budget
On Wednesday, March 22, 2023, during the Deputy Prime Minister’s (DPM) Office
annual budget and 2023/2024 budget debate, the DPM, Themba Masuku, told senators
that the person who was behind the disruption of the civic voter education (at
KaLiba in Hosea) was the very same person who slaughtered cows for maidens who
did not attend the Reed Dance Ceremony last year August.
The DPM told the senators that the person who was behind the disruption of the
civic voter education exercise also owed around E132 000 in study loan. He did
not mention any names in Senate. But in an interview with this publication,
Masuku confirmed that he was referring to Mngomezulu and he had proof that he
had not repaid a single cent of the scholarship awarded to him.
Mngomezulu graduated at the University of Swaziland (UNISWA), now known as the
University of Eswatini (UNESWA), in 2004, with an LLB Degree after he was funded
by government. Worth noting is that the scholarship agreement forms that were
signed in the yesteryears stated in black and white that after five years of
completing studies, a beneficiary was expected to repay 50 per cent of the loan
and failure to do so, one would be compelled to pay the entire loan.
In our Monday publication, Mngomezulu confirmed that he never repaid the study
loan and stated that no one from government had reached him when he made
attempts to repay it. Adding, the lawyer said he was capable of repaying the
loan within two minutes, only if he could be furnished with an invoice and once
the banning order against him was lifted.
It should be noted that government had moved an application to have Mngomezulu
declared an undesirable and prohibited immigrant for allegedly offering a cow to
maidens who would not attend the Reed Dance Ceremony last year. In the matter
that is still pending in court, Mngomezulu, who resides in the Republic of South
Africa, filed his papers where he denied to have encouraged anyone to boycott
Umhlanga. The move was made after he was accused of having encouraged maidens
from Hosea Constituency not to attend the annual Reed Dance Ceremony last year.
Engagement
Meanwhile, Mngomezulu, when he was contacted yesterday regarding his engagement
with the consortium and if he would repay the loan now that he had received his
statement, said he did not wish to deliberate any further on the issue. The
lawyer was asked if he had received the communiqué from the consortium and if
he would repay the loan since he was contacted or he wanted government to lift
the ban. “I’ve said all there is to say on this. Tell your government to
lift the illegal and immoral ban against me,” he said. On the other hand,
Simelane stated that the consortium was multi-disciplined entity, which worked
closely with stakeholders specialising in tracing people, be it in or outside
the country.
Once traced, the consortium contacts those beneficiaries, either via email or
cellphone, with the intention of informing them about their study loans and
emphasising on the importance of repaying. Fortunately, Simelane said most
beneficiaries of the government study loans who resided outside the country
agreed to make repayment arrangements once they had been contacted. “It is
important to understand that the obligation to repay the study loan lies with
the study loan beneficiary as stated in the study loan agreement, which
beneficiaries signed upon receiving the scholarships. The agreement clearly
states that the onus is on the beneficiaries to report to the responsible
ministry to make the repayment arrangement within three months of employment,”
she said.