ʹ„ Žƒ•– ‘–Š Ȃ
We have started paying the suppliers, but are yet to provide a proper update on same,” said the Finance Ministry PS.
Mangcongco Member of Parliament (MP) Oneboy Zikalala said the time they spent not paying suppliers, did the ministry consider the penalties incurred by the suppliers from banks when they did not service their loans due to non-payment.
“These businesses are being destroyed deliberately,” he said.
PAC Chairperson Gege MPMusa Kunene said heavyweights were paid instantly but small businesses were made to beg and fend for their payments and the ministry took its own sweet time in paying them.
Mntfongwaneni MP Roy Fanourakis said, government did not pay interest yet these entrepreneurs loaned money from banks and were expected to pay interest yet government was not paying these people in interest when their payments are delayed.
“Why doesn’t government consider compensating these suppliers with interest because they clearly delayed the payments and now these same suppliers have to pay back loans in interest,” said Fanourakis.
and no one is monitoring. We recently saw how they appealed to the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) for waivers, no word of the director taking them to disciplinary,” he said.
The Director of PEU Busangani Mkhaliphi said they did not have the powers which people assumed they had, in terms of enforcement and non-compliance. Lobamba MPAllen Stewart said it was a cause for concern how ministries dealt with issues. He said their responses always bordered around being willing to fix the matters but never actually doing so.
“These are professionals who are fully capable of doing the job they were hired for. It is disappointing that there are issued which are still dragging,” he said.
Vice Chairperson of the PAC Madlangempisi MP Sibusiso Nxumalo said what attracted them mostly to parastatals were their efficiency.
Tribunal
“There PEU Act clearly states that there should be a tribunal formed which will deal with flouting of regulations or law. Has this tribunal actually been formed?” questioned Nxumalo.
He said the ministry was killing the nation through this unit because it was not carrying out its mandate fully, hence officials in parastatals might be tempted to flout procedure due to not being monitored.
The Director of the PEU said they had a number of sittings with parastatals as a disciplinary committee and most resolutions were a warning to the affected institution. Auditor General Timothy Matsebula said the PEU and the Principal Secretary in the Finance Ministry Sizakele Dlamini along with the parastatals, should stop nursing each other.
“The ministry should report any flouting of procedure to the tribunal, because when they don’t report any misconduct then I make findings it is as if I am out to get them,” he said.