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LOBAMBA – MPs have voted out a Mpakeni Dam tender motion.

The motion was requesting Minister of Agriculture Jabulani Mabuza to give assurance that the Mpakeni Dam pre-qualification tender was fully complied with by ESWADE.

The motion without notice was moved by Kwaluseni Member of Parliament (MP) Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini and parliamentary procedure entails that a motion without notice be voted for by the legislators and it is only debated when given the green light by at least 15 members of the House of Assembly or a majority.

The motion was to move that the Minister for Agriculture give assurance to the House, confirming that the House resolution taken in July 2022 regarding the pre-qualification tender for Mpakeni Dam was fully complied with by the Eswatini Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (ESWADE), when issuing the actual tender that was running currently.

The MPs were not keen on the debate, which was informed by the majority who voted it out against the very few legislators who wanted the debate to continue.

Notice

Initially, the Deputy Speaker, Madala Mhlanga, who was presiding yesterday, had given the floor to the mover of the motion to motivate it, but Maseyisini MP Mduduzi ‘Small Joe’ Dlamini rose on a point of order and reminded the House that a motion without notice should be put to a vote before debating it.

He was supported by Sithobelweni MP Bhekitje Dlamini, who stated that the mover was not allowed to motivate without the motion being voted on.

After voting it out, the mover of the motion was given the floor by the deputy Speaker on a point of order and he shared with his colleagues that he was actually not keen on debating the motion as well, because he was tactically handicapped on the day.

In the motion, the mover had detailed that the minister’s report should cover the areas cited in the Parliament resolution, particularly Sections five and 11 of the Procurement Act of 2011, and most importantly Section 41(1) of the Construction Council Act No.7 of 2013.

Foreign

The section provides that; “A person shall not award a contract for the construction works to a foreign company or foreign firm unless the foreign company or foreign firm undertakes the construction works in partnership or jointly with a Swazi company or Swazi firm.”

“ESWADE is reported to have come up with a new and complex specification in the tender, worse than before, making it impossible for Eswatini companies to get involved, something which may invite the suspension of the whole process,” read the motion without notice.

The minister, if the motion was debated, was expected to table his report within seven days of passing of the motion, failing which the tender could invite serious attention again.