11TH PARLY, CABINET FAILED KING IN CORRUPTION FIGHT

MBABANE  – Despite having made significant strides towards achieving a number of its strategic goals, the government led by former Prime Minister (PM) Cleopas Dlamini did not achieve much in terms of fighting corruption.

In particular, the former Cabinet, together with the whole 11th Parliament, did not do justice in terms of fulfilling a directive by His Majesty King Mswati III to root out corruption in the country. This is despite that when it assumed office, the former Cabinet made a commitment to protect government funds as per a directive by His Majesty King Mswati III. Last Wednesday, the former PM presented an End of Term statement which, however, did not have highlights of what the government did or achieved in terms of fighting corruption.

statement

In the statement, the former PM recalled that when the former Cabinet assumed office, it launched the Strategic Roadmap 2019-2023, which sought to address the socio-economic challenges faced by the nation at the time. The roadmap, he highlighted, aimed to deliver on the promise of making Eswatini a first world country, through, among other things, sustainably growing the economy for the benefit of all who live in the Kingdom of Eswatini. He said the Strategic Roadmap identified five key priority sectors, namely; Mining and Energy, ICT and Education, Tourism, Agriculture as well as Manufacturing and agro-processing but that the government was not able to deliver 100 per cent, due to fiscal challenges as well as the unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic, accompanied by the social unrests and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. “Notwithstanding, I am proud to say that we made significant strides towards achieving a number of our strategic goals,” said the former PM.

In outlining some of the milestones achieved, the former PM recounted that the former government undertook to create at least 10 000 jobs per annum and to make Eswatini an export-driven economy. He said he was pleased to report that the target was surpassed, as 53 415 jobs were created, 6 410 of which came from foreign direct investments (FDIs) and 5 341 from expansions and 41 664 from domestic direct investments. While the milestones are worth celebrating, it is worth noting that during the Speech from the Throne, which he delivered on February 1, 2019 at the Official Opening of the First Session of the 11th Parliament, the King implored all to give credence to sentiments made by the nation at the Sibaya, where all acts of corruption and malpractice were strongly castigated. His Majesty said if the country was to make a meaningful turnaround to the economy, there was a need to fight, control and eliminate all forms of corruption with punitive measures to protect resources and restore financial stability.

resources

His Majesty’s speech came after the then Prime Minister, the late Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, who he had appointed three months prior, had issued a strong warning to all corrupt persons and those who abused State funds and resources. The late former PM had issued the warning when he made his maiden address during the swearing-in of Cabinet ministers at the Hospital Hill on November 6, 2019 and said the net would close in on all corrupt people as his new government was determined to clean the country. In a boardroom that was filled with principal secretaries, spouses of ministers, legislators and high ranking officials, the late former PM’s words were welcomed with a round of applause. He assured that his government was to adopt a zero tolerance on corruption, which he admitted had destroyed the economy.

Furthermore, he reiterated the sentiments that had been made by emaSwati and the King at the Sibaya. The late former PM said; “His Majesty and the nation spoke in one voice at Sibaya, calling for immediate action against all found to have purged the national purse fraudulently. The net will close in for all the corrupt, and we will adopt zero tolerance at all levels. Our resources as a country should be used for no other purpose than national development and stability”. He further appealed to all emaSwati to assist government in nailing the culprits so that they could be brought before the law.

corruption

In 2020, His Majesty once again made emphasis on fighting corruption and this was when he delivered the Speech from the Throne at the Official Opening the Second Session of the 11th Parliament. The King said; “Corruption is an adversary of economic development, corruption has remained an impediment towards sustained economic development of our kingdom. The passing into law of the Prevention of Organized Crime Act, 2018 and the establishment of the asset forfeiture unit is another milestone in asset-tracing and lifestyle audits to ensure proceeds of crime are returned to the public purse. We urge the Judiciary to expedite corruption cases so that perpetrators get to see that the country means serious business”.

In 2022, the King reiterated his call by saying, “Ensuring that corruption is given no room to infiltrate our development initiatives in all spheres, is of utmost importance”. This year, which was the last for the 11th Parliament, His Majesty issued the same reminder and said, “We call upon all emaSwati to unite against corruption by refusing to be part of any crime and rejecting every type of criminality for the advancement of our nation. Despite these calls by His Majesty, there was nothing significant witnessed in the past five years in terms of expediting corruption cases and convicting perpetrators. Worth mentioning is that the former PM Cleopas Dlamini-led government is on record having informed the nation early this year that about E90 million was lost to corruption monthly in the country.

irregularities

This indicates that State resources continued to be lost through corruption and this as supported by findings made by the former Public Accounts Committee (PAC) led Musa Kunene.
But while the PAC helped government recover over E200 million, nothing has been done in terms of prosecuting those found to have had a hand in the irregularities discovered by the Office of the Auditor General (AG). As per the provisions of the law, the PAC serves as a check on the government, especially with respect to its expenditure bill and its primary function is to examine the audit report of the AG. Highlights of the performance of the PAC in the past five years reflect that it recovered a sum of E234 080 562.99. The amount includes overpayment made to suppliers, irregular payments to companies, salary overpayments and misappropriation of government funds among others. In an earlier interview with the outgoing PAC chairperson, he lamented the fact that no one had been taken to task despite that the committee did make recommendations. He explained that it was difficult to guarantee prosecution for implicated government officials as there was no proper legislation to fast track the process. “I have said it countless times that government, through the Office of the Prime Minister, must push for the enactment of a law that will give powers to the PAC to fast track the prosecution of people,” he said.

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