By Kenneth Dlamini | 2018-11-18
Mbabane Mayor Zephaniah Nkambule was at pains trying to convince himself how the Sunday papers had been wrong to release an exposé on under-fire CEO Gideon Mhlongo.
Nkambule was disputing stories carried by the Sunday papers which exposed a report that had previously not been released, conveniently so, by the Municipal Council of Mbabane.
After the lawyers were consulted in August the report was bizarrely acknowledged by the council two months later.
This was the report by legal experts who were independently consulted by council on the long dragging contract saga of Mhlongo. I personally think Nkambule only succeeded in making a mess of everything that he was trying to achieve in shedding light on the matter.
In the end the mayor succeeded at zilch. For a start, we all know that Nkambule is a strong proponent of Mhlongo and thus could not have said anything otherwise against his buddy.
Secondly, the mayor could not dispute that independent legal minds were consulted to shed some light on the matter and that their report confirmed the former Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phiwayinkhosi Mabuza had blundered by coercing the council to give Mhlongo a contract.
The legal experts went on to state that the former minister had no power to issue orders regarding appointments of council employees.
They made it clear that he could not invoke Section 47 of the Urban Government Act of 1969, which the former minister cited as giving him power to renew the contract of Mhlongo.
With that said, this goes to show how much rot there is at the council and the lengths which the ex-minister went breaking every law available just to accommodate and appease his friend Mhlongo.
This is a very serious matter which in my opinion is even challengeable in a court of law. This in a nutshell means that Mhlongo is stealing from the ratepayers, who have tried all they could calling for his removal.
As far as I’m concerned the report by the legal experts did not only helped to shed some light on the supposed contract but basically condemned the CEO for being in office illegally.
That’s where the seriousness of the matter comes in. Not only does the report exonerate the much-maligned councillors led by firebrand Sikhatsi Dlamini but it shames the mayor and the rest of the stooges.
The Sikhatsi-led faction has been very firm, consistent and clear from the onset in this matter. They have been saying it from day one that Mhlongo was in the council illegally.
This whole episode makes a mockery of the justice system in the country. It goes to show how the justice system is failing the ordinary citizens.
How could they fail to bring someone holding public office to account for their misdeeds?
If anything, this means former minister Mabuza should be arrested for giving his friend an undeserved contract. This also means Mhlongo should stop work forthwith. This can only mean that the two colluded to steal money at the council.
And, to say that’s blatant corruption is just putting it mildly. Did I not hear the new Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini speaking passionately about ridding this country of corruption?
There’s your first stop Mr PM. Coincidentally, I saw that you recently already met the much-maligned Mhlongo.
Which raises more questions than answers. Who initiated that meeting in the first place, and why? I find it quite convenient that Mhlongo was quick to meet the PM without even meeting his minister. I know the meeting with new Minister of Housing and Urban Development Prince Simelane finally happened on Thursday when he visited the council on a familiarisation tour of the municipality.
The prince is quoted by the Observer on Saturday as having called for peace during his meeting with council. He is said to have told councillors that he had been tasked with going to council to instil peace.
I’m not sure which side of peace the Prince was referring to here, because there’s only one way that can bring peace to the council.
And, whether by omission or pure coincidence, the prince steered clear of discussing Mhlongo’s contract, which is the source of trouble at council.
It must be clear to Prince Simelane that you cannot put the cart before the horse. First things first.
In short, he must sort the contract mess of the CEO and then the rest shall fall into shape.
The issue of the suspended councillors must also be looked at, because clearly they are being victimised for speaking their minds and exposing the rot. It must have been peculiar for the prince to meet the council without some of the members. Did he demand answers for the absence of the other councillors?
How the prince sorts this mess will define how he is going to fare in the ministry in his five-year tenure. Let’s see if the prince is worth his salt. Save the ratepayers from paying an unjustified exorbitant salary.
I thank you.
share story
Post Your Comments Below
Church bodies and individuals have conveyed condolences on the demise of Reverend Dr Nicholas Tha...
SOCCER - CAPITAL city side Mbabane Highlanders have announced the appointment of Milton Dlamini a...
Eswatini sensation, Uncle Waffles, has been increasingly teasing the release of what is set to be...
Government has filed an urgent application at the High Court seeking an order reviewing and setti...
All material © Swazi Observer. Material may not be published or reproduced in any form without prior written permission.
Design by Real Image Internet