Times Of Swaziland: CONTROVERSY OVER E316K FURNITURE AT MINISTRY OF LABOUR

CONTROVERSY OVER E316K FURNITURE AT MINISTRY OF LABOUR
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Nonduduzo Kunene on 28/05/2024 10:57:00


LOBAMBA – The Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Scholarship
Department angered members of the PAC, who were not satisfied with its answers
on expenditure of over E316 000.
The money was spent on office furniture that was never delivered, as per the
procurement tender. A response that was given to the MPs did not have supporting
documents, while officers of the ministry were giving the PAC inconclusive
responses when asked whether the furniture was delivered or not. The officer
that angered the MPs was the Human Resources Officer of the Scholarship
Department, Ncobile Dlamini. This was when the ministry, with its departments,
appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to answer on audit queries
that were raised by the auditor general. The AG in the Financial Audit Report of
the Consolidated Government Accounts of the Kingdom of Eswatini for the
financial year ended March 31, 2022, reported that stores amounting to E316 390
were purchased during the year; however, during a physical verification exercise
the items were not identified. Instead, the auditors were shown old items.
Auditors
The items that were supposed to be verified by the auditors included 26 deep
swivel armchairs, 16 executive leather high hack swivel armchairs, two 35 to 40
seater boardroom tables, and a 15 to 20 boardroom seater table 80mm, as a well
as one wall unit. Noteworthy, these items were paid for and a delivery note was
signed that gave approval that the ordered items were delivered. This office
furniture was for the scholarship department. Yesterday, the Principal Secretary
(PS) in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Makhosini Mndawe, told the
PAC that some of the items that were mentioned in the audit query were
available, but some were not. “We also conducted our inspections and some of
the items were available and some were not; as a result a case was reported to
the police,” he said. Mndawe said they also made a follow-up with the police
and were given assurance that the matter was being actioned. The PS also shared
a police report that was dated May 22, 2024, as proof that the matter of the
missing furniture was reported. The session went south as soon as the
controlling officer asked the Human Resources Officer of the Scholarship
Department, Ncobile, to explain in detail about the missing or undelivered
office furniture.
Missing
Dlamini tried to explain that there were 14 missing chairs and there were also
eight leather chairs and fabric chairs that were delivered from an order of 16
leather chairs. She added that the reason the supplier could not deliver all 16
leather chairs was because of COVID-19, which inflated the prices in the market.
Before she could continue, the MPs were heard mumbling among themselves.
Somntongo MP Sandile Nxumalo stated that he was confused as the AG’s report
stated that furniture was not delivered. “Why do you say the items were lost
when they were never delivered? Can undelivered items be lost? These items were
never delivered, tell the truth,” he said. Nxumalo said it should be clearly
stated how many items went missing and how many were not delivered. Assistant
Auditor General (AG) Samkele Motsa explained that the undelivered items were
based on their analysis, because they could not find the furniture at the time
of the audit.
Dlamini explained to the MPs that the furniture was delivered, but the specifics
had been changed. Nxumalo also interjected and asked the officer to give clear
answers that aligned with the AG’s report. The Vice Chairperson of the PAC,
Nhlambeni MP Manzi Zwane had to plead with the MPs who were already failing to
understand Dlamini’s explanation. Matsanjeni South MP Sabelo Ndlangamandla
said: “The officer should not run away with the answers. When a supplier
delivers material, they produce a delivery note. Do you have a delivery note.”
The officer emphasised that all 26 armed chairs were delivered and 14 went
missing and were reported to the police after the auditors pointed them out.
Just after her statement, the MPs shook their heads and looked at each other,
seemingly disappointed. It was then that the MPs reprimanded the officer for her
statements and accused her of disrespecting the honourable House. Appointed MP
Tsembeni Magongo said the explanation by the officer did not have any iota of
truth because the AG reported that he found old and worn-out furniture, not the
new furniture that was supposed to be bought and paid for using public funds.
“In short, you are disagreeing with the AG; you are saying there are 12 chairs
in the office. The police report you have provided was made a few days ago, yet
the furniture disappeared two years ago. This means you were brushing us off and
you are also using the police,” she said.
Dvokodvweni MP Sifiso Shabalala, after noting that the MPs were disagreeing with
the officer’s report, he quickly said ‘I told you so’. This is because
Shabalala had said from the onset that he was not buying any of the explanation
that was delivered by the ministry’s officials but was urged to wait for the
officers to finish their explanation. “It is clear that the furniture was
never there. The concern we have is that you did not prepare yourselves when you
came here, hence you are giving us a cooked statement. The AG’s report
mentioned several items that are missing but you are giving us a run around on
the first item on the list. There is also a wall unit missing and sifuna kuva
kutsi sikulakula sonkhe se wall unit sibhekaphi,” he said.
Smooth
Somntongo MP said he was saddened by the conduct of the ministry. He said the
PAC was trying to have a smooth session but the ministry was not coming to the
party. “You’re just saying nothing. I do not even know where you got the
audacity to bring a document that was filed a few days ago as proof that you
reported items that went missing in 2022. Sibindzi lesikhulu kangaka
usitsatsaphi while the country has lost so much through such activities,” he
said. The MP told the entire PAC that he was not going to let the ministry move
on to another session, until the scholarship department told them where the
items were. “I want the ministry and everyone involved to tell the truth
nangabe nifuna siyiphakamise lentfo lena siyente ishube (don’t dare us) we
will do just that. We will not tolerate these lies. We are trying to recover
government funds,” he said.
Nxumalo further alleged that there was likelihood that the supplier did not
deliver the items. He said they should say so and stop shielding him or her. He
asked if the officer benefited from the tender of the undelivered items. He said
they should have reported in 2022. He asked how the police could recover items
that were stolen in 2022. The MP said he wanted to trust them, but was failing
because the AG could not deliver a report without facts. “What interest does
he have to lie about you? The supplier took government’s money and never
delivered the items and now you are trying to protect that person and for
what,” he said. The MP said even the ministry needed to be investigated for
its behaviour in the whole matter. Kubuta MP Masiphula Mamba said since the
ministry appeared before the PAC, which was last week and yesterday, they had
been challenged to produce proof in the form of annexures to the reports.
Responses
He said as he was paging the thin responses that were brought by the ministry
and lifting the annexures that were provided during the session. “Matsanjeni
MP asked for a delivery note and we want to see it. We want a supporting
document that supports what you are saying in terms of the items being
delivered, which will crush what the auditor general said in his report. Give us
the delivery note before you can flash the police report on us,” he said.
Ndlangamandla further asked who received the chairs that were supposedly
missing. “Setinetinyawo titulo kutsi tabuyela emuva (do these chairs have legs
and were able to walk out of the office). Where is the delivery note signed by
the deliverer and the receiver?” he asked. Zwane reminded the ministry that
the PAC had a holding cell to detain people who were lying, and the evidence
they were bringing before them was under oath. The vice chairman said he failed
to understand how the items went missing, because if there was a person who
stole them, he or she would have been seen by someone moving the furniture.
“If it was during the day, you would have seen the person. Even if it happened
at night you should have seen that the furniture was missing immediately you
entered the office,” he said.