EX-PM REQUESTED SEXUAL FAVOURS FROM ETVA JOURNO - REPORT

MANZINI – Deceased former Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini has been accused of being inappropriate with female staff from the national broadcasters while on international trips, claims a report.

These are allegations that were presented to a select committee investigating serious allegations of corruption, nepotism and maladministration reported to be rampant at the Eswatini Television Authority (ETVA) and Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Services (EBIS).

The select committee presented the report to the House of Assembly on Monday and it still remains allegations while the individuals implicated are presumed innocent as it is yet to be adopted.

The report was tabled by the seven-member select committee comprising Musa Kunene (Chairperson), Xolani Vilakati (Vice-Chairperson), Allen Stewart, Lutfo Dlamini, Mduduzi Matsebula, Busiswe Mavimbela and Mduduzi Magagula.

Inappropriate 

Witnesses who presented before the committee alleged that the late ex-premier was inappropriate with female staff on international trips as in one particular trip, Barnabas was purported to have contacted an employee of EBIS through her hotel phone so that she could convey a message to her roommate to go to his hotel room at night for some undetermined personal business.

The roommate was a journalist from ETVA.

It was presented by one witness that upon return from the former premier’s hotel room, the ETVA staff member claimed that he (ex-PM) had propositioned her for sex.

During the allegedly proposition for sexual favour, Barnabas was purported to have informed the journalist that such relations would only happen between them during trips. “She reportedly declined these advances. At the end of the trip, the PM asked the said female staff member to come and ‘help him pack his luggage’ to which she refused. The witness submitted that it was clear that some of the staff sent on the international trips were for the late PM’s benefit,” reads the report in part. The allegations made to the select committee further insinuated that the deceased premier was involved in a relationship with erstwhile EBIS employee Thandiswa Ginindza.

Affair 

“...The love affair that was ongoing between a staffer, Thandiswa Ginindza and the erstwhile PM, proved to be an issue in that she was offered all the trips that the premier was on, to the disadvantage of the rest of the staff at EBIS,” further reads the report.

It was alleged that the person to be blamed for all this confusion was the Deputy Director of EBIS, Gcinangaye Tsabedze. 

The witnesses alleged that Tsabedze had her own personal close relationship with the PM. According to the submissions made to the select committee, the former premier used to say that he had his own ‘imphaka’ at EBIS who kept him abreast of events. 

It was also claimed that Tsabedze organised some young women from the station and elsewhere for sexual favours for the ex-PM on his trips. 

Also, the report claimed that at one point, Ginindza had preferential treatment in that after her in-service training, she was expected back on duty. However, it was claimed that she was not at work but was still involved in her studies while officially she should have been at her duty station. The witnesses alleged that this was done with impunity and with the full knowledge of the management of EBIS.

Tsabedze was purported to have been the one nominating staff to travel on external trips with the King or the PM. This, it was said, was executed by Tsabedze with the assistance of the deceased ex-PM. 

Ability 

In compiling the list, it was supposed that some of the personnel from EBIS chosen to travel on international trips lacked the ability expected of them to write the stories, whereas before all this the broadcasters would be assigned on those trips because they possessed the necessary skills needed for such an exercise. 

Tsabedze was portrayed as someone who had worsened the division at EBIS through claims of awarding international assignments in a divisive and discriminatory manner and had explained this away by saying that she had been instructed to do so by the then premier. 

This was said to have created even more discontentment and bad blood among the staff at EBIS where some staffers were constantly on trips while others never or rarely got awarded any trips.  Those trips were claimed to have a financial component which benefitted the members of staff.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: