Times Of Swaziland: TAXPAYERS NOT PAYING CABINET TO FIGHT - SENATOR

TAXPAYERS NOT PAYING CABINET TO FIGHT - SENATOR
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Nonduduzo Kunene on 18/03/2025 08:32:00


LOBAMBA – Senator Tony Sibandze came hard on Cabinet and said they need to
squash their personal battles and focus on the needs of the nation.
Speaking during the Annual Performance Report for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 Budget
Debate of the Prime Minister’s (PM) Office by the Senate Portfolio Committee,
the senator told Prime Minister (PM) Russell Dlamini that differences of opinion
are part of the journey towards building a successful nation.
He said differing opinions demonstrated that people are indeed working. However,
he stated that it becomes problematic in administration when differences of
opinion are not about the work, but about personal issues.
He said personal issues jeopardised the larger mandate, which is serving the
people.
Differences
“I believe personality differences are hindering the Cabinet machinery from
expediting the implementation of quick-win solutions. At the moment, we are
facing an unstable fiscal position, so we need to find quick-win solutions that
will help us solve the short-term problems faced by the country. These
personality differences are holding the nation back and are not in the interests
of the people of Eswatini,” he said.
“Cabinet ministers should know that they were appointed to Cabinet, and there
is only one principal, His Majesty the King. If they fail to deliver, their
image, and that of the appointing authority and the nation at large, will be
tarnished,” he said.
Refrain
The senator urged the PM to ensure that the personality differences within the
Cabinet were resolved and that the entire Cabinet should refrain from airing
their dirty laundry in the media and on other platforms.
“Fight behind closed doors; we want solutions, not what you are currently
doing. The taxpayer is not paying you to fight, but to deliver solutions to the
problems that the country is facing,” he said.
The senator said people wanted service delivery, not personal battles. In
response, the PM acknowledged that diversity was key to a strong team. He said
there was a need for them, as a Cabinet, not to cross certain boundaries because
of their personalities. “We are in the stage where we are noting our
shortfalls and understanding the way things are done in certain structures. If
you have not served within government and are coming from outside, you can
easily be frustrated by government processes, which are very important,
especially for accountability purposes,” he said.