GOVERNMENT’S AMBITIOUS 8-MONTH DREAM

MBABANE – Is it a mission possible or impossible?

Can the five star hotel be completed in eight month’s time?
These two questions arise from the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development Principal Secretary (PS) Bertram Stewart who insisted that by the end of the year the hotel - six storeys high – will be complete and ready for use by the end of 2017.
The project is spearheaded by the Millennium Projects Management Unit within the ministry.

The PS was being questioned on when tenders for the hotel would be released as this would mark the beginning of its construction.
Similarly, Prince Hlangusemphi emphasised the fact that construction work will soon begin on the FISH project. He mentioned, however, that the nation or business community would be informed soon how the ministry will carry out the tendering processes or preliminary preparations before the actual construction commences.
“We will soon be making an announcement concerning the hotel construction,” the minister said.

When he was probed further on how the ministry intended to carry out the tendering process in order to save time and kick-start the project soon, he referred all questions to the PS, who he said had better technical knowledge.
The only existing structure on the land is currently the International Convention Centre (ICC) and it has taken about three years to build to its current state.
In an interview, Stewart conceded the fact that no tender had yet been issued for the construction of the hotel. However, he vehemently stated that construction would be completed by the end of the current year (2017).
“Take my word for it, I am telling you that the hotel will be built and its completion achieved by the end of the year.”
 However the PS did not have any concrete examples of why he adamantly said the hotel would be ready by the end of this year.

This is because the ministry is yet to advertise tenders for the building and the process takes more than six months to reach its completion, according to a construction expert.
The claims that the hotel will be ready in eight months seem rather farfetched as a another hotel being built a few kilometres from Ezulwini much smaller in terms of the number of rooms being built, has taken more than two years to complete.

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