HOW DID TSHAWUKA GET GOVT LAPTOP WHILE NOT MINISTER? - PAC

LOBAMBA – The Minister of Agriculture, Mandla Tshawuka, is said to be in possession of laptops that were delivered and distributed in the financial year that ended March 31, 2023.
At the time of the audit, the minister was still an employee of the Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation (RESCorp). The irregularity was noted yesterday when the Ministry of Agriculture was providing feedback on the whereabouts of the 10 laptops worth E320 800, that were purchased and delivered in March 2023. The ministry’s Stores and IT personnel were unable to provide information about their location, hence they were reported missing.

Missing

In May 2024, when the ministry was before the PAC, the controlling officer told the PAC that the laptops were not missing, but were used by officers. Yesterday, the Principal Secretary (PS), Sydney Simelane, provided the PAC with a list of the officers who had the laptops, together with their serial numbers. The list included the current minister of agriculture, which puzzled the Members of Parliament (MPs), because at the time of the audit query, the minister was not anywhere near the ministry. “I see the list states that one of the laptops was with Minister Mandla Tshawuka. How is that possible, because during the audit he was at RESCorp and he probably had not dreamt of being a minister?” asked Matsanjeni South MP, Sabelo Ndlangamandla.
The PS said the laptops were brought in advance. However, the MP said even if that was the case, the list indicated Tshawuka’s name, despite that at the time in question, he was not in the Ministry of Agriculture.

Rescue

However, the Auditor General (AG), Timothy Matsebula, came to the ministry’s rescue and stated that the presented document was a current distribution list of the gadgets. The PAC Chairperson, Madala Mhlanga, said the ministry could have just stated that it was in the minister’s office, because the way it was presented raised questions similar to those asked by the MP.

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