Total neglect at government inter-ministerial
MBABANE – All that is required to clean up the overgrown grass are basic tools such as a spade, slasher and some waste bin bags, but the government seems to be failing to do this.
However, grass has overgrown so much that moving through some stairs or pavements had become difficult. A woman with a disability narrated how impossible it was to drive her wheelchair through the long grass.
The alarming deteriorating conditions surrounding government buildings in the inter-ministerial building area have raised concern among the people who frequently use the buildings. The inter-ministerial building houses several government headquarters. It is also within the same area that offices of Cabinet ministers are situated.
Concern
When concerns by the members of the public were raised, reporters from Eswatini News visited the area to get a firsthand observation of the situation on the ground. Also, some civil servants expressed concern about the overgrowth. They said recently, in one of the government offices, a boomslang was discovered. Boomslangs are highly venous snakes that prefer trees as opposed to buildings such as the inter-ministerial complex. The snake was, however, safely removed, leaving some of the civil servants concerned that it had intentionally been put their so that it could attack one of the senior officials. However, the snake experts cited the overgrowth, saying snakes roam freely when they feel at home.
During the visit to the inter-ministerial buildings, reporters from Eswatini News uncovered that the grass had not been cut for some time. The grass also appeared to be destroying some of the paving such that even if the grass was to be cut, the damage to the pavement had become permanent.
Despite the presence of civil servants employed for maintenance purposes, it seems that the upkeep of the premises has fallen by the wayside. When sought for comment, some of the civil servants said the cleaners only focussed mainly on the inside of the building. In one of the departments, an official said the person responsible for cleaning could not clean both the inside and the surrounding of the building.
Maintain
Some of the civil servants also said they lacked the necessary tools and resources to maintain the surroundings. They emphasised the need for government intervention, stating that enlisting private companies would be the only viable solution to tackle the issue promptly.
Also, it was not only the Mbabane inter-ministerial environment that appeared to be unkempt. This was also similar in towns that were visited by reporters from Eswatini News. This was also the situation Manzini and Pigg’s Peak. It was also gathered that in some government
offices, officials used their own tools.
Members of the public questioned whose responsibility it was to ensure that the structures were well-maintained.
It is not the first time the Ministry of Public Works and Transport has been blamed for not maintaining the buildings or the surroundings.
In other instances, the complaint has been raised on different occasions regarding the state of the courts in the country.
In many of the courts, the toilets have been reportedly non-functional, while windows and even the ceilings are damaged in some of the buildings.
CONCERN
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport is said to be responsible for maintaining government structures.
However, during previous conversations, a concern was raised that officials from the affected buildings do not report their faults.
Meanwhile, this publicationhad also recently reported on how clutter had become a norm at the Ministry of Home Affairs. It was reported that old papers and some other documents were being dumped and piling up within the building and that this posed a health hazard.
The Home Affairs building is not the only government place which was cluttered. Other ministerial departments also had various other health concerns.