NOMINATED MINISTERS DISPUTE HAVING ADVANTAGE OVER COMPETITORS

MBABANE – Cabinet ministers, who were nominated in the 2023 General Elections, dispute that they have advantage over their competitors.

This is according to views that were shared by outgoing politicians. In certain sectors of society, some held the view that Cabinet ministers, who are still in office and also in the running for another term in Parliament, had an advantage over their competitors. Some individuals, before the dissolution of the 11th Parliament by King Mswati III on July 11, 2023, felt that Cabinet ministers had an upper hand as they would be busy with their portfolios, which they could also abuse for campaigning. Last Wednesday, His Majesty the King revealed that the last day for Cabinet ministers to be in office would be September 25, 2023. After the announcement, it was noted that they would be in office even during the campaigning period, which is slated for August 27 to September 27, 2023.

Elections

The secondary elections on the other hand would be held on September 29, 2023. Seven Cabinet ministers were nominated in their respective chiefdoms for the position of Member of Parliament (MP). The nominated Cabinet ministers are Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi, Minister of Public Service Mabulala Maseko, Minister of Economic Planning and Development Dr Tambo Gina, Minister of Tinkhundla Administration and Development David ‘Cruiser’ Ngcamphalala, Minister of Education and Training Lady Mabuza, Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Moses Vilakati, as well as Minister of Agriculture, who is also the Acting Minister of Natural Resources and Energy, Jabulani Mabuza.
On the contrary, politicians who were also nominated for MP positions said they felt that the seven ministers were actually not a threat to their competitors.

Some said they had hoped that Cabinet would be dissolved just after the primary elections, as it was the case in previous election years.  One of the outgoing politicians, who felt that there was not much to dwell on was Sithobelweni Inkhundla MP Bhekitje Dlamini. He was nominated for the MP position. He explained that Eswatini politics were different from other countries. He said after the King’s command, even if one would share a different view, it would not matter. “All I can say is that the King’s word is final. Any view after that should be reserved,” he said.

Anticipated

Gege Inkhundla outgoing MP Musa Kunene said he anticipated that Cabinet would be dissolved on August 25, 2023. He, however, noted that there were a number of national events that the public would attend, therefore, it made sense to have Cabinet ministers in office until then. The country is expected to hold a double celebration this year, marking 55 years of independence and the 55th Birthday of His Majesty King Mswati III. The outgoing chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Musa Kunene said from where he was, the seven Cabinet ministers, who were also nominated, were at a disadvantage where the campaigning period was concerned. “They would be expected to continue their ministerial duties, while some of their competitors would be busy canvassing for votes,” he said.

He said he felt that even being in office could disadvantage them further, more especially those who were in controversial ministries like the Ministries of Education and Training, Labour and Social Security, which is currently receiving scholarship applications, and Public Service. The latter ministry is under the microscope as civil servants are busy negotiating the cost-of- living adjustment (CoLA). Some Cabinet ministers felt that the complaints about them being in office were baseless. Some of them highlighted that emaSwati were getting clued up on politics. They mentioned that there was no amount of campaigning that some people could do in order to win votes between the primary and secondary elections.

Vote

“People know who they want, in fact they are just waiting to cast their vote and close that chapter,” said the Minister of Public Service, Mabulala Maseko, is outgoing Maphalaleni Inkhundla MP. The minister, who was also nominated for the MP position, said the public were very clever and educated. Maseko said since the last elections, and the years after that, members of the public were busy looking at suitable candidates. Therefore, he said people shouldn’t think that the electorate would be clouded by sudden acts of kindness.  He said being a minister was not disruptive to him or gave him an upper hand as other candidates.

Meanwhile, Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi stated that being in office did not mean that they would use government resources to campaign. He said when it came to the official campaigning period, they would be treated like all other candidates and follow the method stipulated by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC). “We would be part of EBC’s form of campaigning. We would not be treated differently or do things differently because we are ministers,” he said. Minister of Tinkhundla Administration and Development David ‘Cruiser’ Ngcamphalala also wondered how being in office would put them at an advantage over their competitors. He said people knew what they wanted and had their preferred candidates.

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