Removing govt car plates illegal - Ndlaluhlaza
MBABANE – Minister of Public Works and Transport, Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe has said it was illegal for drivers to place their own number plates on government cars.
The minister said this after it was brought to his attention that some government drivers removed the registration plates due to the current political climate. However, they alleged that the Principal Secretary (PS), Thulani Mkhaliphi ordered them to revert back to government number plates.
The civil servants told this publication that they had opted to use their own number plates due to the ongoing turbulent times in the country, which reared its ugly head in June 2021.
“Some of us after realising those arsonists had targeted government cars, out of fear, we decided to use different number plates as we felt we were no longer safe anymore. However, an order came from the PS that we should refrain from removing the car plates as it was unlawful,” disclosed the government driver, in an interview.
Threatened
Another driver said that government should priorities the issues of safety first as they had been threatened and continued to be everywhere they travelled when in government cars.
“We know that it is illegal to use different plates but our lives come first and it is the duty of government as an employer to ensure that,” pointed out the civil servant.
Though the PS, Thulani Mkhaliphi was sent a WhatsApp message and also called several times by this publication, he had not responded at the time of publication. PS Mkhaliphi had been asked if it was true if he had issued an instruction that the drivers should revert from using the government car plates.
Licence plates are a term for a piece of identification which are often attached to clear positions of most road going vehicles to give each and every vehicle their own unique combination of characters to identify that particular vehicle as and when required.
Meanwhile, Minister of Public Works and Transport, Chief Ndlaluhlaza pointed out that it was indeed illegal to remove registration plates off government cars.
“According to the Law, every car, whether it is a private car or a government vehicle, it must have a number plate as long as it is on the road. It is punishable by law to use a wrong number plate or have none at all and if the PS has rebuked such action then he is right. If some drivers are doing this for whatsoever reason they should immediately refrain from doing so,” the minister advised.
Properties
Eswatini has been hit by a political unrest whereby government and private properties have been petrol-bombed by unknown arsonists.
The National Commissioner of Police, William Tsitsibala, has reported that 11 police had been brutally assassinated.
Off late, unknown assassins have targeted political activists as Swazis First Democratic Front (SFDF) Muzi Mmema and Human Rights and Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF), Chairman Thulani Maseko have both been brutally killed on separate incidents by unknown people.