By NOKUPHILA HAJI | 2024-11-05

SOME Members of Parliament (MP) under the ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation portfolio committee have decried being left out of external trips.

The members revealed this during the portfolio committe’s second quarter budget performance debate yesterday.

Manzini Region  MP Thandeka Mavuso asked why portfolio committee members were omitted when it comes to international trips.

Mavuso said she was really disappointed that the ministry had declared that it promoted women in public spaces, politics, leadership and governance, but left them behind when it attended the Women Foreign Minister’s meeting in Canada.

Madlangempisi MP Allen Vilane said there were entrepreneurs  that had to join His Majesty King Mswati III on international trips so that they could get exposure. He said leaving the business people behind when visiting other countries was unfair.

He said the entrepreneurs could even finance themselves for the trips so that they could be exposed.

“They will be assisted if they go with the king because it will show that they are not ‘pansulas,” he said.

Nkilongo MP Petros Sibandze said they were not aware of any trips undertaken by the ministry.  He pleaded for one of the members of the committee to join the prime minister or the king on the trips so that they could be aware of what was happening and be able to defend the ministry in future.

“Where is the money for the trips coming from? Is it the ministry giving out the money or it comes from somewhere else?” he asked. Chairman of the portfolio committee Alec Lushaba added that they were aware that the ministry always had external trips.

He asked the ministry to engage them and be taken into confidence on how it works.  Lushaba said the ministry was sharing its challenges, but highlighted that they had to be engaged at committee level so that they could be aware of the challenges and defend them.

In response, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Mabulala Maseko said due to the operations at the ministry, they sometimes left some members behind.

He said involving MPs on international trips depended on the parliamentary budget. “Some of the trips are sponsored, partially sponsored and others are fully sponsored by government,” he said..

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