Home | News | Most ministers no-show as PM leaves for SADC summit

Most ministers no-show as PM leaves for SADC summit

16/08/2013 01:41:00 BY WELCOME DLAMINI

Font size:

Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini (R) in a brief meeting with the DPM Themba Masuku, Minister Winnie Magagula and Secretary to Cabinet Mbuso Dlamini before his departure to attend the SADC meeting in Malawi yesterday. (Pic: Mduduzi Mngomezulu)

NGWENYA – Cabinet mini-sters, save for one, were nowhere to be seen at the Ngwenya Border Gate to bid farewell to Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini when he left for Malawi yesterday afternoon.

The premier is going to represent His Majesty King Mswati III at the 33rd Southern African Development Community (SADC) Heads of State and Government Summit in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe.
Only Minister of Information, Communication and Technology Winnie Magagula was present to see him off. Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku was also there.

Usually, the ministers come in numbers to send-off the prime minister whenever he leaves the country.
Yesterday, however, only principal secretaries (PSs) and under secretaries USs) led by Secretary to Cabinet Mbuso Dlamini were at the border gate. When the PM was asked where the ministers were, he ducked the question and only spoke about the huge presence of the PSs and USs.

“It is usual that when their colleague leaves the country for a foreign trip, principal secretaries come to bid farewell. This is a sign that they are with us and they pray with us that we have a safe journey,” said the PM.
He had earlier explained that Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mtiti Fakudze and Minister of Public Works and Transport Ntuthuko Dlamini were already in Malawi.

The no-show by the ministers resulted in some people at the border gate asking each other whether Cabinet had since been dissolved.
His Majesty, a fortnight ago at the Ludzidzini Cattle Byre, dissolved Parliament and said the nation would be told of an ad hoc committee (sigejana) that would hold office.

Cabinet ministers, meanwhile, have continued to stay in office and said they had not been dissolved.
Speaking briefly before his departure yesterday, the PM said: “His Majesty had earlier prepared to attend the meeting himself but then decided to send a delegation of ministers.”

Dlamini said the SADC Summit would focus on a number of issues including finances of the organisation and the state of the economy of member countries. The summit, which begins on Saturday until Sunday, will be preceded by a Council of Ministers meeting.