7 CABINET MINISTERS NOMINATED

MBABANE – Seven Cabinet ministers will be contesting the elections this year. These are Ministers of Public Service Owen Nxumalo, Commerce, Industry and Trade Jabulani ‘Buy Cash’ Mabuza, Education and Training Phineas Magagula, Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs David ‘Cruiser’ Ngcamphalala.

Others are Tinkhundla Administration and Development Mduduzi ‘Small Joe’ Dlamini, Agriculture Moses Vilakati and Housing and Urban Development Phiwayinkhosi Mabuza.

The ministers were nominated in the various royal kraals this past weekend. Most of them received overwhelming support during their nominations for the position of Member of Parliament (MP) in their constituencies.

Also nominated was former Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Gideon Dlamini, who was ousted from his position in 2016, and he was replaced by Minister Jabulani Mabuza.

According to Section 68(6) of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini, 2005, ministers cannot be in office for more than two consecutive terms. This means that among the seven nominated ministers, Dlamini is the only one who is not eligible for reappointment into Cabinet. This follows that the six ministers have not been in office for two consecutive terms.
Dlamini was the Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs during the 9th Parliament.

What was common about most of the ministers’ nominations was that they were characterised by screams and ululations from their supporters.
Minister Jabulani had to be protected by the police, who formed a barricade around him after his nomination, as his supporters attempted to throw themselves at him in Pigg’s Peak.

Meanwhile, Nxumalo did not have the luxury of police protection as women easily clung onto his neck while screaming after his nomination.
Ngcamphalala’s nomination was also characterised by women screaming, dancing, ululating and stating that they had finished nominating.

The ministers will battle it out for the position of MP against other nominees in their different constituencies.
 It remains to be seen whether they will make it past the Primary Elections scheduled for August 25, 2018.

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