By Bongiwe Dlamini | 2025-04-07

Following some public misconceptions, the Minister of Justice and Constitutional affairs Prince Simelane has clarified the extent of Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini’s involvement with the Anti- Corruption Commission.

Addressing the Task Team's mandate, the Minister clarified that while the government holds the prime responsibility for combating corruption regionally, continentally, and internationally, the ACC Task Team reports directly to the Prime Minister. This reporting line is intended to facilitate the prime minister's direct oversight in promoting socio-political stability and sustained economic growth.

The minister stated that the Prime Minister had indeed overseen the initial set up of the ACC Task Team and appointed its head.
The minister explained that His Majesty King Mswati III had earlier equated corruption to a disease that required urgent and similar attention to a pandemic, further noting that the King directed the Prime Minister to ensure that the executive addressed corruption decisively, following concerns raised by Emaswati during Sibaya.

The Minister also highlighted that regionally, some African countries had established anti-corruption task teams under their countries’ Constitutions. He mentioned Zambia, which also had a member of the British Commonwealth, while other countries such as South Africa have their anti-corruption task teams formed as sub-committees of already existing Judiciary bodies like the Special Investigating Unit and Security Agencies.

In the case of Eswatini, the ACC Task Team was formed in accordance with the provisions of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2006, which establishes a prima facie case and balances reporting lines before an investigator can seek an arrest warrant from a judge of the High Court.

The jurisdictional authority for justice and constitutional affairs is the parent ministry for both the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), while the police fall under the Prime Minister’s office. The Minister qualified that the Task Team, through the Prime Minister, monitors the police, who are accountable for their performance. Upon entering office, one of the PM’s key priorities was to enhance the operational effectiveness of the ACC, the Minister explained.

Furthermore, Minister Prince Simelane mentioned that the ACC required additional support, and his ministry approached the office of the Prime Minister and requested the establishment of a task team comprising representatives from the three institutions to facilitate high-profile investigations. This collaborative effort aims to align agency resources, expertise, and technology while providing a robust structure guided by investigators for the swift resolution of complex cases.

The Task Team is not entirely new, as it was established during the tenure of the former Prime Minister, Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, and is a practice globally, the Minister stressed.

He further emphasized the Prime Minister’s commitment to the Task Team, mentioning that the global best practice is for such task teams to account to the minister of justice and constitutional affairs. However, the Prime Minister, recognising the required resources for the Task Team, facilitates the provision of the required resources.

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