Swazi Observer

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EX-MINISTER, BROTHER IN ELECTIONS BRIBERY SCAM

By Sizwe Dlamini | 2018-05-21

A former minister from one of the tinkhundla centres in the Hhohho region has been accused of dangling a bribe in the form of food for the people’s votes.

The fallen legislator is said to have apart from offering free meals to the gullible electorate, provided free transport to the willing residents to the registration centre.

Sources told this publication that a brother to the former minister was the mastermind who conveyed the message to the people who were then transported in a Quantum.

The Quantum according to sources made several trips to the registration centre where people registered and further made verbal agreements to vote for the ex-cabinet member when voting time comes.

Election laws are against such conduct.

This is classified under criminal activity and could lend both the former minister and all concerned in jail. The former minister also faces disqualification from the forthcoming elections.

This will all depend on how the police investigations that were launched into the matter yesterday pen out. Acting on a tip off from concerned individuals, last Friday police detained and recorded statements from 17 people who were found in the suspected Quantum.

Sources disclosed that all 17 people pointed towards the former minister who had through a brother promised them lucrative food parcels if they registered and pledged to vote for the embattled ex-legislator.

“The story is very simple, police were informed of a white Quantum that was transporting people to register to vote in the upcoming 2018 national elections for a former minister.

The minister sent his brother to do the dirty work.

The minister promised the potential voters lucrative food parcels,’’ said a police source. During the recording of statements with the police, some of the residents disclosed that they were not the only ones as this exercise had been ongoing since early last week.

Police are now conducting investigations to establish the extent of the corruption. Elections and Boundaries Commission’s (EBC) Mboni Bhembe said in such cases as the one mentioned above it was a case of criminal nature that should be handled by the police. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent Khulani Mamba confirmed the incident saying police are still investigating the matter.

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