PAC SUMMONS LINDIWE OVER SIKHUPHE HOUSES

LOBAMBA – The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has once again summoned Senate President Pastor Lindiwe Dlamini to appear before it. 

Not only that, Dlamini has also been accused of abusing her position as Senate President. 

This transpired yesterday during the sitting of the PAC where Clerk to Parliament, Ndvuna Dlamini, had appeared before the committee to give feedback on his mission to meet with the Prime Minister (PM), Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, to try and resolve challenges faced by his office as he tried to execute his duties. 

PAC Chairperson Matsanjeni North MP Phila Buthelezi, said they would summon the Senate president through a letter that would have been written by end of business yesterday. 

Material

He said they were summoning the president in her capacity as Lindiwe Dlamini, the former Minister of Public Works and Transport, to address the issue of the construction of Sikhuphe houses using material which had not been recommended. 

MP Buthelezi said during last week’s sitting with officers from the Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority (ESWACAA), the acting chief executive officer had alleged that the former minister had forced them to use the building technology imported from Egypt called glass fibre re-enforced concrete (GRC), which cost government about E3.8 million. 

Buthelezi said it was alleged that the former minister ‘wahlala entsanyeni’ (forced) the former CEO to continue with the project despite the fact that there was a report which had reported negative effects of the technology. 

He said they would also summon the former CEO Solomon Dube to give his side of the story and also write to the director of the company responsible in case he also wanted to comment  on the matter. It was reported that 15 houses were built at Sikhuphe and have remained white elephants as they were unoccupied. 

MP Buthelezi said they had come a long way with the Senate President as last year the issue of the Sicunusa-Nhlangano road had come up and now the Egypt issue. 

“We are now formally summoning her and I will sign the letter by the end of today (yesterday),” said MP Buthelezi. 

He said upon receipt of the letter, the president was expected to follow the provisions of the Privileges Act, in particular Section 7. 

He said the Act was very specific on what needed to happen if a member of one of the Parliament chambers was asked to appear before another or a committee. 

MP Buthelezi said that member was expected to seek permission from the House members. 

“I hope she will be honest and inform the senators that she has been asked to appear before the House to shed light on how taxpayers lost a sum of E3.8 million after she allegedly interfered in the matter and what role she played,” said MP Buthelezi. 

The chairperson further said for issues of transparency in the matter, the former minister should not preside over that matter, but maybe her deputy. 

“We hope the senators will allow her to come before the committee and again I want to emphasise that we are not calling her as Senate president, but former Public Works and Transport minister,” said MP Buthelezi. 

MP Buthelezi, who is also the Deputy Speaker, said once the letters were sent, they would set a date for when all the parties would appear before the committee so that the matter could be sorted. 

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