Times Of Swaziland: GOVT OFFICIALS’ MAD RUSH TO COMPILE SIBAYA SUBMISSIONS

GOVT OFFICIALS’ MAD RUSH TO COMPILE SIBAYA SUBMISSIONS
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Nonduduzo Kunene on 23/11/2023 16:18:00


MBABANE – Senior government officials, from Tuesday, were in a mad rush to
compile submissions that were made by the public during the 2023 Sibaya, which
are to be presented in Cabinet today.
The mad rush was a result of the maiden Cabinet meeting held on Tuesday by
ministers and the Prime Minister (PM), Russell Dlamini. It was gathered that
during the first meeting, the premier wasted no time and told ministers that
they needed to hit the ground running and that each minister should understand
his/her ministry, including the expectations of the public from each of them.
Submission
One of the tasks that kept senior government officials running around from
Tuesday evening, was getting the submissions made during Sibaya that related to
their ministries. According to some of the senior government officials, the PM
tasked Cabinet ministers to compile all the submissions that were made during
Sibaya individually, and in accordance with their respective ministries. The PM
gave the ministers until today to sum up the six-day submissions. It is believed
that the submissions would then form part of a discussion to be held today in
Cabinet.
Meeting
On Tuesday, after the Cabinet meeting, some of the ministers immediately brought
together their principal secretaries (PSs), under secretaries (USs) and heads of
department (HoDs), including parastatals chief executive officers (CEOs), to
assist in compiling the Sibaya submissions. Yesterday, most the officials were
running up and down getting reports, while others recapped the recorded videos
online with the goal of compiling the reports in readiness for presentation
today. “The minister dropped a bomb on us after the Cabinet meeting. We are
expected to compile a report of all the submissions that were made during Sibaya
and this should be ready by Thursday (today),” said one senior official, who
was seeking assistance from scribblers with the submissions.
Others were even asking for soft copies of the Sibaya report that was compiled
by National Secretary Nhlanhla Dlamini, from members of the media. This media
house was inundated with calls from officials, who sought published articles on
issues relating to Sibaya submissions. When some were advised to go through
YouTube channels, they decried the turn-around time, as most of them were
notified about the announcement on Tuesday evening and were under pressure to
deliver. Some of those who had worked prior with the PM, more especially when
the country was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, advised their colleagues not to
cut corners in compiling these reports. This is because the PM created a name
for himself when he was with the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), as
a dedicated person and a perfectionist.
Compilation
“I pray my colleagues don’t do a shoddy job because from the experience I
have with him, he has already made his compilation,” said another official,
who worked with Dlamini during the country’s response to COVID-19, which was
spearheaded by NDMA. Inasmuch as there was the mad-rush for the Sibaya
submissions, some of the government officials appreciated the exercise, as they
believed it would keep everyone engaged. This is because, during Sibaya, His
Majesty King Mswati III said the submissions would be a guide for policies and
laws that the country should have.
The King declared poverty as a national disaster. Once a disaster is declared,
the PM should lead the response, together with the ministers. Government
Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo confirmed that Cabinet was reconvening today. He,
however, stated that he was not privy to the agenda of the meeting. Nxumalo was
asked after this publication learned about the tasks that were declared by the
PM on Tuesday and what was on the agenda of today’s meeting. “Yes, Cabinet
is reconvening tomorrow (today), however, the agenda is not communicated to the
Government Press Office,” he said. Nxumalo further explained that his office
was usually given decisions that had been taken by Cabinet, not the agenda which
could be discussed by Cabinet.