Senator lauds PM for heeding King’s call
MBABANE – Chairperson of the Senate Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Affairs Isaac Magagula, says the announcement of the Anti-Corruption Task Team will unveil the reason why it was difficult to prosecute corruption cases.
The senator lauded Prime Minister Russell Dlamini and the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs for heeding the King and Sibaya’s call on ending corruption in Eswatini.
“I don’t have enough words to laud and appreciate the gigantic step that has been taken by the prime minister in fighting corruption in Eswatini. He adopted the Nkwe mantra and it is showing. This is commendable speed from a leader of government.
“Issues of corruption have been raised before, but there were no tangible fruits. Today we are seeing the PM in action. The King, during the Speech from the Throne, emphasised that corruption-related crimes should be investigated and criminals prosecuted. Bobhabuli babonakale baphenywa, baboshwa,” he said.
The chairperson said corruption hindered the country’s development. ‘‘Authorities are speaking a lot about sustainable development. But, how can we have sustainable development, if people’s well-being is compromised by corruption?’’ he wondered.
Magagula highlighted the serious medication and drug shortage that affected public health institutions. He said it had been stated that the serious health crisis was caused by corruption in the sector.
He added that how can one see the formation of jobs for emaSwati to be employed when the country is always listed among countries that are unable to deal with corruption. He said a country that was listed among corrupt countries was shunned by investors, which affected the entire nation in terms of job creation.
“The PM has done well in this regard. The tripartite that is made up of the Director of Public Prosecution, Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) as well as the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) should be indeed at the forefront in dealing with corruption.
“The tripartite will be able to deal with the issues that make it difficult to prosecute corruption cases. At its inception, the ACC was stinging, but over time it became a white elephant. I believe the tripartite would delve into the reasons behind that and formulate a strategy,” he said.
Magagula said it was high time that those who were investigated be arrested. Magagula said he was confident that the DPP would address that. He said police should also form strong strategies on how to assist the ACC.
The senator said many people were unemployed due to corruption. He said he was confident that after the task team hit the ground running, people would be employed, more especially young people, thus improving the standard of living in Eswatini.
He said, the Senate, more especially the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Portfolio Committee would work with the minister to ensure that corruption was eradicated.