MBABANE – Clerk to Parliament Bennedict Xaba has decried that the institution is consistently overlooked in the national budget, warning that this seriously affects its constitutional mandate execution.
He said as a result, his office is always forced to undertake internal reallocations and, in many cases, request supplementary budgets to host critical national events, including the State Opening.
Xaba made these remarks during Parliament’s appearance before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), where he was called upon to respond to findings raised by Auditor General (AG) Timothy Matsebula in his report for the financial year ended March 31, 2025.
The AG uncovered that Parliament recorded an under-expenditure on consumables and supplies amounting to E334 606.18 during the period under review.
He emphasised that under-expenditure of 10 per cent or more should not be viewed as a positive outcome. In his report, Matsebula stated that such non-utilisation of funds is not conducive to national development, as it reflects delayed or poor implementation of government programmes and denies other sectors access to resources that could have been used productively.
“Had the funds been accessible and utilised to finance essential programmes, they would have contributed towards the development and economic growth of the country,” he stated. He further noted that failure to implement planned programmes results in a loss of opportunity cost and may lead to escalated expenses due to inflation. “Planned programmes were not accomplished and there was a loss of opportunity cost for the funds tied up in non-implemented activities,” Matsebula said, adding that this ultimately undermines development initiatives.
The AG advised that Parliament must ensure that released funds are utilised strictly for their intended purposes and cautioned against seeking budget releases when there is no readiness to implement.
He also recommended that Parliament should provide detailed explanations for any under-utilisation of funds and clarify whether intended objectives were met despite the shortfall. According to the report, the controlling officer attributed the under-expenditure to cancelled purchase orders after funds had already been committed.
It was further explained that some of the released funds could not be utilised due to the constraints imposed by financial year-end deadlines. Appearing before the PAC, Xaba admitted to the findings and acknowledged the shortcomings.
He explained that operational pressures, particularly within the 90-day period towards the end of the financial year, often disrupt implementation timelines.
“You will find that Parliament becomes extremely busy during that period. When the financial year ends, some of the activities are pushed into the next financial year,” Xaba said.
He explained that the timing of key events presents significant challenges, particularly the State Opening of Parliament, which happens at a time when the financial year is about to end.
“By that time, he said, the accountant general had already closed orders. Members of the PAC, however, were not entirely satisfied with the explanation and raised several concerns regarding both planning and financial management.
Dvokodvweni MP Sifiso Shabalala said while the explanations were understood, there remained critical gaps that needed to be addressed.
“I hear the explanations, loud and clear, but since these activities are budgeted for, where do you then get the money once orders are cancelled?” he asked. “If the activities continue, which they clearly do, what is the source of funding?” he further queried. MP Sicelo Ndlangamandla raised concerns over discrepancies in the figures presented, particularly the difference between the appropriated budget and the actual funds released.
“I see here that Parliament was appropriated E237 666, yet E2.7 million was released. I would like clarity on how that happened,” he said. Nhlambeni MP Manzi Zwane echoed similar concerns, questioning the legitimacy of spending beyond the initially approved allocation. “I do not think that as Parliament we can appropriate a smaller amount and then have a significantly larger amount released. How do we end up with E2.7 million when the allocation stood at E237 000?” he asked. Zwane, however, acknowledged the efforts made by the clerk in ensuring the success of the State Opening of Parliament.
“We must appreciate that the clerk goes all out to source funds to make the State Opening a success. However, we are concerned that this approach could compromise Parliament in the future,” he said.
“We need to be firm as Members of Parliament to ensure that the budget for such important events is always made available,” he added.
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Clerk to Parliament Bennedict Xaba.