No escaping the task

I Nresponse to public pressure and the unequivocal calls at Sibaya, followed by a directive from His Majesty the King, we now have a task team to address the challenges hindering the fight against corruption in this country. We thank the King and people for being resolute in bringing to the fore, yet again, one of the major causes of the country’s socio-economic stagnation and retrogression in numerous areas.

We have also learned that the country is under close scrutiny for money laundering and terrorism financing activities due to loopholes in our financial monitoring systems that are being exploited by corrupt individuals. As a consequence, there is a significant risk of our country being blacklisted. So even if we were not intending to do anything about it, others are ready to put us in the dog box.

Action

There has been a concerning lack of action on this issue over the years, which has created a damaging perception that it is sanctioned at the highest echelons of power due to a lack of political will. This is what makes the setting up of the Anti-corruption Task Team significant. It will not only dismiss these assertions but also add credence to the importance of Sibaya and raise optimism about the revival of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). And we will finally get to see all corrupt elements brought to book after an eight-year hiatus.

There was a resounding applause in Parliament when His Majesty the King gave the directive for the law to take its course, in full, on corruption when delivering the Speech from the Throne on Friday. This is the applause we wish to extend to those entrusted with delivering on this mandate after each conviction.

However, in welcoming this development, champaign remains on ice as we await tangible results. More so because such a committee is not the first of its kind from what we are learning from those who were involved in the operations of the previous task team set up by former Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini.

The former Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Justice at the time, Sicelo Dlamini, has described the previous task team as a sham, that was more of a smokescreen that achieved nothing.

Cautioned

The Minister of Justice back then, David Matshe, has also cautioned on the pitfalls of such a structure, if it is subjected to political interference. He has advised that the operation should function autonomously, led by someone who has the balls to stand up to the authorities when necessary.

The two are obviously speaking from an informed position and their input cannot be disregarded if the work of the new task team is to be the success that the nation highly anticipates. A failure by this task team would be the final nail in the coffin and we may as well resign ourselves to living in a State of lawlessness. We are only 50 places away from being labelled the most corrupt country in the world.

One might add, though, the disappointment of learning from the attorney general (AG), during the launch of the task team, that the comments made by the chief justice in the famous case that rendered the ACC dormant were not binding.

The AG said they had no effect on ACC’s operations and that it would continue to operate to fulfil its mandate. The obvious question is, why have we not arrested people all these years? There are more than 200 cases of corruption that could have been expedited all these years and perhaps the country would have been in a much better place economically and otherwise. Who knows, we may not even have had an unrest in 2021.

Another important development associated with dealing with corruption is the introduction of requirements for stating the source of funds when depositing cash in hardware stores. Initially, the practice of opening accounts and banking cash at hardware stores, as opposed to using bank accounts, was aimed at helping people save to enable them to purchase building materials when constructing their homes.

Process

However, the process has been abused by some to clean up dirty money, because it by-passes the eye of those monitoring the movement of cash to ensure our financial systems are not open to money laundering and financing of terrorism abuse.

The consequences of money laundering are serious for any country, as this may result in Eswatini being grey-listed and blacklisted. Once this happens, the country may not be able to trade in foreign currencies and the banks will not be able to perform cross-border transactions as well as render credit and debit cards limited in their use, among other challenges.

We are evaluated from time to time by the Regional Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing of Terrorism Standard Setting Body, the Eastern and Southern Africa Anti-Money Laundering Group (ESAAMLG).

As indicated earlier, we have been found wanting, due to a number of deficiencies that were identified, and the country has been referred to the ‘Pool of Countries’ that require closer monitoring, which puts Eswatini in an enhanced follow-up programme.

At the end of the day, corruption is an unavoidable reality. No matter how hard we strive as a nation, it is impossible to completely suppress it.