Times Of Swaziland: MP’S INTEREST IN OIL RESERVE IS ABNORMAL – MINISTER

MP’S INTEREST IN OIL RESERVE IS ABNORMAL – MINISTER
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Sabelo Majola on 13/09/2024 09:10:00


LOBAMBA – Minister of Natural Resources and Energy Prince Lonkhokhela
submitted that the interest shown by MP Marwick Khumalo on the strategic oil
reserve was abnormal.
The minister was giving responses to a question for oral answers that was posed
by Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament (MP) Khumalo, wanted to know about the
progress on the construction of the oil reserve. “Could the Minister for
Natural Resources and Energy inform this house about the level of progress that
has been achieved on the Construction of the Strategic Fuel Oil Reserve, since
the last time he spoke about it in the House,” read the question. While
responding, the minister highlighted that he had spoken on the issue several
times in Parliament, after it was raised by the same MP and the last time he did
that was exactly a month ago.
Khumalo admitted that he had interest in the matter, not because it was personal
but because it was a national project that was supposed to help emaSwati. The
minister then submitted that his interest in the matter was abnormal, given that
he had asked him twice before on the same issue and he had given responses.
Khumalo didn’t take kindly to the minister’s submission on his interest
being abnormal and he requested the minister to withdraw his statement, which
the minister did. Prince Lonkhokhela stated that there was progress in the
construction of the oil reserve, but the ministry did not want to rush things
especially because they ended up being white elephants, if done improperly.
Costs
Khumalo then asked the minister what the cost of the project would be,
highlighting that a benchmarking exercise was done at Botswana and the costs in
that country were around E2 billion, yet there was talk of E6 billion in the
country. The minister said he could not have the exact cost of the project, as
yet.LaMgabhi MP Sicelo Jele requested the minister to give timelines on the
completion of the project, given that it commenced in 2013 and feasibility
studies were long concluded. The minister said there were no specific timelines
on the project and he maintained that there was progress.
Meanwhile, Khumalo, seconded by Mayiwane MP Sicelo Dlamini moved a motion that
the Minister of Public Service should engage the Civil Service Commission, with
a view to investigate the growing and prevalent trend of public servants who
resort to altering their dates of births, either midway during their tenure of
employment or towards reaching the retirement age. The Minister is expected to
table his report within 14 days, after the adoption of the motion by the
House.While motivating the motion, Dlamini submitted that age reversing by some
civil servants nearing retirement was adding to the unemployment woes in the
country, as their work would normally be given to someone who was unemployed. He
said that when one was retiring, the procedure entailed that they receive
letters three months prior to the retirement, alerting them of the impeding
development.
However, the MP submitted that the culprits would then produce their newly made
documents, with the reversed age, and request their years to be reversed, as
they did not put the right information. Khumalo highlighted that there was a lot
of rot in the Ministry of Home Affairs because it was there that the retiring
civil servants were getting their documents changed in their favour.