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LOBAMBA - Senators have raised concerns over the use of donor funds for projects within the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development.

This was during the annual performance report and 2023/2024 budget debate which was held in the House of Assembly Chamber.

The senators said they were of the suspicion that some of the donors might have ulterior motives that may put the country in a tight corner when demanding repayments or may have other terms and conditions.

The senators made their concerns after Minister David Ngcamphalala presented the performance report of the ministry and submitted the E422 323 342 budget. The ministry’s performance report indicated that E37 648 000 donor funds were used to rebuild 15 tinkhundla centres that were damaged during the civil unrest in 2021. In the current upcoming financial year, the ministry had been allocated E15 million for the construction of new tinkhundla centres.

Senator Chief Mphatfwa applauded the ministry for working tirelessly to ensure that despite the challenges that were experienced in the country, the ministry found means of ensuring that tinkhundla centres were functional.

He however, asked about the use of donor funding to rebuild and rehabilitate these centres. “Why is there so much use of donor funding? What does this mean to the country, kute yini lesingaba ngiko yini tsine without donor funding,” he asked.

Withhold

He asked what the country could do if the donors would pack and go, or withhold their money, since a number of projects depended on donor funding.

He also asked for the identity of organisations or individuals who kept on pumping in money. He wanted to know their motives and explained that he was concerned that Eswatini might find itself cornered by these donors, into doing or accepting some practices that did not conform to the way