STORIES THAT MADE HEADLINES THIS PAST YEAR

MBABANE - As the year draws to an end, with only three days remaining, Eswatini News takes a brief moment to reflect.
The year has seen us publish stories that have had great impact while also making the public aware of what is going on around them.
Case in point the ‘E78 million ICC & FISH bathrooms’  story saw members of parliament standing up and asking the right questions and  we still  need answers. 
Here’s a brief look at some of our top stories in 2019.

E78 million bathrooms set tongues wagging

A noble project that was initially expected to cost just over E1 billion raised eyebrows this year when the costs of construction ballooned to over E4 billion. This is none other than the International Convention Centre and the Five Star Hostel dubbed ICC&FISH.
Fears were further compounded when it was revealed that the costs of bathrooms for the FISH were imported from Italy and would be fitted all at a cost of a whopping E78 million.

When members of Parliament launched a probe into the costs, government said it would prefer a forensic investigation and the parliamentary select committee was then relaxed. 
However, six months later, there is no forensic investigation.
Instead, government has made an additional loan of E1.2 billion from the Bank of Taiwan to complete construction.

New bosses in
armed forces

The country’s security forces waited with baited breath this year when, in separate events, His Majesty King Mswati III announced their leaders in REPS National Commissioner William Tsintsibala Dlamini, His Majesty’s Correctional Services Commissioner Phindile Shongwe and Army Commander Lieutenant General Jeffrey Sipho Tshabalala.
They made headlines when they hit the ground running with Dlamini reshuffling his pack, Tshabalala announcing a tough court marshall for misbehaving soldiers and Shongwe promising to be innovative to ease the huge financial burden of feeding inmates. 

High Commissioner
accused of lying

Eswatini’s High Commissioner to South Africa Dumsile Sukati aroused the anger of members of the Public Accounts Committee when she tendered an abstract account of events concerning an accident she was involved in. 
The accident which occurred last year had left a government vehicle that was allocated for her mobility extensively damaged. Auditor General (AG) Timothy Matsebula reported that Sukati personally drove the mission’s vehicle without authority and it was involved in an accident, which resulted in a loss of E579 595.00. 
As a result, government had to purchase a new vehicle for the High Commissioner valued at E2 130 425.00.
The PAC Chairperson MP Phila Buthelezi threatened to lock her up in the parliamentary holding cells because her version of the incident was contrary to that given by her driver Patrick Rambau.

The point of departure in the testimonies of the two was on the whereabouts of Rambau on the fateful day of the accident. The bottomline was that foreign envoys are not supposed to drive themselves around.

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