BACK OFF – ARMY CHIEF TELLS MPS

MANZINI – Army Commander Sobantu Dlamini has not taken kindly to a visit by a group of members of parliament (MPs) to the army headquarters at Nokwane earlier this week.

The Commander has in a subtle manner told the legislators to back off. This comes after the group of about seven irked MPs from the Lubombo Region visited the Umbutfo Swaziland Defence Force headquarters to deliver a complaint relating to the recent recruiting exercise.
The legislators raised a concern that most of the aspiring soldiers from their region, who won during the physical exercises at the various constituencies, had been left out.
They alleged that they were called by the affected candidates who told them that they were left behind when the others were called to start training at Mbuluzi Infantry.

The law makers said what irritated them most was the fact that the candidates who were supposed to be hired by the army, were left behind and replaced by contenders who allegedly did not even partake in the physical exercises, which were conducted by the USDF in the constituencies.
The MPs said they were also not satisfied with the army’s medical examination results, which stated that the candidates had some diseases because they tested on their own before joining the race for the USDF’s jobs. Furthermore, the MPs asked the army to allow them to hire a private doctor to test the aspiring soldiers and send the results to all of them but the military declined their offer. 

During this meeting, the legislators met with some senior army officials who work under the army commander’s command. The group of legislators are known to this publication but have asked for their identities to be protected.
Responding to the legislators concerns during an interview yesterday, the army commander, who was represented by the USDF Public Relations Officer (PRO), Lieutenant Colonel Madoda Mkhatshwa, said the MPs were lucky not to have been chucked out of the facility because it was out of their jurisdiction. “Again, the MPs have nothing to do with the army’s recruitment exercise because they are not the people we deal with even at tinkhundla level. We deal with the constituency headmen (tindvuna te-tinkhundla).”

The commander said he believes that the MPs had ulterior motives to achieve because they were also aware that it was the constituency headmen who works with the army in the recruitment process. He further did not hide that he believed that their ulterior motive was to campaign using the matter.
When clarifying how they work with the constituency headmen, the army commander said they usually gave them all the records regarding the exercise including the winners and runners-up.
He said if one of the selected candidates did not make it through in the next tests, they inform the indvuna yenkhundla to bring the next qualifying candidate. “So, if there is an instance where a candidate was not replaced by the next qualifying contender, it is the indvuna yenkhundla who has the right to lay a formal complaint with the army and necessary measures will be taken.”

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