Senators: Upgrade tinkhundla
LOBAMBA – Senators have implored the Minister of Tinkhundla Administration and Development David ‘Cruiser’ Ngcamphalala to upgrade tinkhundla centres before the Decentralisation Bill can be passed.
The ministry held a consultation exercise with the senators on the Bill at Senate yesterday and one of the items that formed part of the discussions was some of the dilapidated tinkhundla centres, while other constituencies did not have the centres at all.
Senator Vuka ‘Moi Moi’ Masilela said it was a waste of time for the ministry to push for the approval of the Bill when the tinkhundla centres were a sorry sight and a shame for a ministry that represents ‘who we are as emaSwati’.
The objects of the Bill are to provide for decentralisation by devolution, delegation and deconcentrating functions, responsibilities, services or resources vested in government under any law to other local levels of governance, in particular provide for decentralisation by devolution or delegation of functions, responsibilities, services or resources vested in central government to local authorities.
Mandate
Masilela said for the mandate of the Bill to be carried out to the satisfaction of emaSwati, the ministry should ensure that all the structures across the country were uniform in terms of readiness for work, their standard and appearance.
“We cannot be pushing for a Bill to be passed when we have not ensured that all is in order and the level of readiness at the tinkhundla centres is at an advanced stage. Otherwise all the work and effort that the ministry is putting towards this initiative will count for nothing,” he shared.
Masilela’s submission was supported by Senator Busi Dlamini, who stated that some of the tinkhundla centres didn’t even have toilets and some constituencies were still doing their administrative work in rented or borrowed spaces because there was no centre built by government through the ministry.
These submissions were subsequent to a preamble on the Bill presented by Director Decentralisation Dumisani Sithole, who shared with the legis