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By PHEPHILE MOTAU | 2024-10-22
FOLLOWING his submissions in a number of controversial debates, Mayiwane Member of Parliament (MP) Sicelo Dlamini has revealed that he is not a member of any political party.
He said the narrative that when one is vocal in parliament, that person subscribes to a political party must come to an end.
The MP said this on Thursday in the House of Assembly during the debate of his motion asking the Minister of Public Service Mabulala Maseko to explain what was delaying the implementation of Phase Two for junior officers of the restructuring of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) and His Majesty’s Correctional Services (HMCS).
Dlamini, who is referred to by his colleagues as Khungankhosi, has so far been one of the most vocal MPs in the 12th Parliament.
He has moved and seconded some controversial motions, including the one for junior officers which was eventually rejected by parliament. This was during the same debate where the Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini irked MPs by saying they should not incite when making their submissions.
suspend
During the debate, Dlamini declared that he was a police officer and would die one. He said he was not affiliated to any political party and would never be. Dlamini said he could be the truest Tinkhundla loyalist in the 12th Parliament.
“We are building the nation; I will talk about everything without compromising. The narrative that when you talk here, you subscribe to others, must come to an end. You may hide the truth, but one day it will come out. You can suspend it, one day it will come out,” Dlamini said.
The MP said his motion simply enquired on the hold-up in implementing Phase Two and he had not received a proper response. The response of the minister had been that Phase Two was implemented through Circular No.5, 2022 and the salary review consultant was also dealing with the matter.
He said he was calling on the MPs to see it fit to throw the minister’s report out of the window.
“It's clear that prime minister was not consulted as principal of the police.
I'm calling upon him to help implement Phase Two as a stand that was taken by government in 2014,” he said.
He said the minister should not come to the house and speak something which was not honourable. When motivating for his motion, which was seconded by Deputy Speaker Madala Mhlanga, Dlamini said the last hope for the junior officers was parliament.
He said the circular for the implementation stated that the Phase Two was supposed to be subsequent the first one, and it also had the word shall.
Dlamini explained that the word was an authoritative verb, meaning that it should happen without fail. He asked how they could be led by a group of angry people. Dlamini also said some of the people had died and left their money behind.
Dlamini said he had also seen the terms of reference for the consultant who is conducting the salary review of the civil servants, and it does not say anything about Phase Two.
investigate
Dlamini further said the officers should be given what was due to them. The MP first brought the matter to parliament through a question and later, it came as a motion.
The other controversial motion he was involved in was the one asking Maseko to engage the Civil Service Commission with a view to investigate the growing and prevalent trend of public servants who resort to altering their dates of births, either midway during their tenure of employment or towards reaching the retirement age.
The motion was moved by Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo. Dlamini was the seconder of the motion.
The responses of the minister to the motion were withdrawn from Parliament after he said he had consulted with the mover and the seconder on this.
Dlamini has also previously seconded a motion by Mhlanga which was moving for the Minister of Health Mduduzi Matsebula to table a detailed report on the current situation on drugs and medication availability in the public hospitals, health centres and clinics in the country.
He had also raised some questions, including asking Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo to explain the delay in converting temporary teachers to permanent positions as he earlier made an undertaking to the MPs about the hiring of new teachers.
He also asked Nxumalo to explain to the position of government on the colleges which offered courses to Emaswati only to be told that government did not recognise such programmes, much to the graduates’ disappointment.
Only constituents can
reprimand their own MPs - PQ
ONLY constituents have the right to admonish their MPs if they say what they have not sent them to parliament.
This was said by political analyst Professor Qambukusa Magagula, who is popularly known as PQ.
Magagula said it was wrong for other people to say that MPs were progressives if they speak about issues in parliament as they are speaking on behalf of their constituencies.
He said politics was a tricky game as in other countries, including the United States (US), the same was said for their MPs.
He said since constituents could not recall MPs if they were not performing, they would end up not voting for them in the next elections if they did not represent them well.
“They can only be called and admonished by their constituents and not anyone else. They are the ones who voted for them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Professor Magagula said the PM could not tell MPs how to speak in parliament.
He said government was made up of three organs, which were the Legislature, Executive and Judiciary, which were all independent of each other.
He said when in Parliament, Cabinet ministers were talking as MPs and not the executive and as representatives of their constituencies.
He said the PM could not order MPs on how to talk, as he could only do that in cabinet meetings, where he was the chairman.
‘Minister misled in phase
two implementation’
MINISTER of Tinkhundla Administration and Development Sikhumbuzo Dlamini says Minister of Public Service Mabulala Maseko was misled on the implementation of Phase Two.
He said the minister of public service should conduct further research on the issue.
Dlamini, who was also a police officer, gave a detailed explanation of the issue, saying it began in 2008 when the senior officers in the security forces benefitted from another restructuring, while junior officers did not.
He said the junior officers ended up established a union, which was bad for the country.
The minister said when he came to parliament in 2013, the junior officers were hopeful that he would speak for them and he talked a lot about the issue.
Dlamini said in 2014, they once again restructured but only the senior officers were considered.
He said Phase Two was not implemented, but they were just trying to calm the situation.
Dlamini said the junior officers had been victimised for wanting their money as those from 2008 were victimised for forming the union.
He said going forward, government should ensure that they did not only feed the elders, but also fed the children.
“Since 2008, there are officers who have been sitting at home. They have families and are missing out on promotions, we are losing the cream by not taking issues seriously,” he said.
Dlamini further said the salary review consultant should make their findings on this issue clear as senior officers were earning very high salaries, while junior officers earned peanuts.
Meanwhile, Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi said the officers were not suspended because of Phase Two, but they were suspended for misconduct.
Police stopping MPs on roadblocks for Phase Two
the police are stopping MPs on roadblocks, asking that they intervene on the issue of Phase Two of the restructuring for junior officers.
This was said by some of the MPs during the debate.
Methula MP Jabulani Simelane said he came across three roadblocks from Methula with police officers asking that they intervene in the issue. Simelane also declared that he was a police officer.
He said the officers asked that they speak on their behalf because they were victimised if they spoke about it.
Simelane said there were more than 20 officers who were at home on suspension and they did not know if they would ever be promoted.
He said four of these were facing disciplinary action over phase two.
He further said the police officers, warders and other civil servants voted for him and put him in parliament during the special voting exercise, and were hopeful that he would speak on their behalf.
Ngwempisi MP Bhekibandla Vilakati said the matter was sensitive as the junior officers stopped them along the way to tell them of their pain, and also ask for drinks. Gege MP Magesi Dlamini said security personnel should not have grievances as it placed the country in a bad light.
He said the junior officers were killing themselves and this was because they had reached their limits. “It could be that they find themselves without money, and they kill themselves,” he said.
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