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PM GIVEN THREE MONTHS TO IMPROVE BORDER ROADS

By Mbono Mdluli | 2019-06-25

Members of Parliament have called upon Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini to state how border posts roads would be improved.

The legislators have given the premier three months to table this report before the House of Assembly. The MPs complained about the state of the roads in the country, but what was more pressing was that some of the country’s border posts had untarred roads.

That was what the MPs wanted the prime minister to attend to in the next three months. Siphocosini MP Mduduzi Matsebula yesterday moved a motion directing the premier to present a report on a clear strategy on how the government intended to improve the road infrastructure from the country’s border posts and the services provided therein, particularly the Bulembu, Lundzi, and Nsalitje Border Posts, before 2022. Matsebula was seconded by Deputy Speaker Phila Buthelezi.

Matsebula stated that he directed his motion towards the PM because he felt he was the one who could best deal with this particular directive.

“This motion has not only focused on roads leading to border posts, but also the services rendered therein. This means the motion is directed to many ministries, hence it was directed at the prime minister who is in charge of all of the ministries directed here,” Matsebula said.

The Siphocosini lawmaker said the ministry of tourism and environmental affairs was affected because it was the one charged with the responsibility of taking care of tourists in the country. He said tourists could play a vital role in stimulating the country’s economy.

They did not deserve to be driven on dirt roads.

Matsebula also said the ministry of home affairs had officials who worked at the border posts. Some of those officials had a tough time dealing with traffic congestion at entry points like Ngwenya Border Gate. Matsebula said the upgrade of roads at the border posts could help in easing the pressure from the workers stationed there.

Gross inconsistency

at Gege Border Post

There is gross inconsistency at Gege Border Post as officials from Eswatini and South Africa do not knock off at the same time.

The officials from Eswatini knock off at 4pm, while their counterparts on the South African side stop working at 6pm. This was said by Deputy Speaker Phila Buthelezi when seconding a motion moved by Siphocosini MP Mduduzi Matsebula.

Buthelezi said this was something he encountered when he inspected the Nhlangano-Sicunusa road.

The deputy speaker went there in his capacity as Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

He and his team also went to Gege Border Post, where he met this shocking revelation.

Buthelezi said this clearly showed that there was no cooperation between the two countries at that entry point and urged the ministry of home affairs to look into it.

Aseniyekele lokuphike

kundiza – Ministers told

Ministers should stop the habit of globetrotting and attend to their country’s deteriorating road infrastructure.

This was said by Mangcongco MP Oneboy Zikalala during the debate of a motion moved by Siphocosini MP Mduduzi Matsebula, which called on Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini to improve roads leading to border posts.

MP Zikalala said sometimes, driving towards the border posts on the dirt roads consumed a lot of time yet that would not be the case if the roads were tarred. He mentioned that the ministers could not be aware of this fact because in most cases, they were out of the country.

He said it was important for ministers to develop a habit of touring this country so that they could appreciate the dire conditions under which Emaswati lived.

He said what the ministers did was like that of a man who took pride in going to far-away places and failing to take not of the challenges his children faced.

The Mangcongco MP said the ministers would have a better picture of what the country looked like if they toured it to see the challenges, especially those of bad road infrastructure.

Buthelezi praises

ever-present PM

Deputy Speaker Phila Buthelezi has praised Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini’s commitment to Parliament affairs. Buthelezi made this expression when he was about to second a motion moved by Siphocosini MP Mduduzi Matsebula. Buthelezi urged the prime minister to keep up the good work of attending Parliament business because he was leading by example.

The Matsanjeni North legislator said the ministers should emulate their leader by being present in the House when Parliament was in session.

“What I also like about the prime minister is that he attends to motions directed at him and he also answers questions. In the previous term, the prime minister would show us a clean pair of heels when we moved a motion directed at him and this happened for five years,” Buthelezi said.

Ministers abscond

from Parliament

Two Cabinet ministers absconded Parliament business yesterday.

The two Ministers Jabulani Mabuza and Makhosi Vilakati are responsible for ministries of agriculture and that of labour and social security.

This transpired when motions directed at them were moved by Members of Parliament (MPs).

Both motions directed at the ministers had to be withdrawn because they were not present.

Both motions were supposed to be moved by Motshane MP Robert Magongo. In the agriculture motion, Magongo was supposed to be seconded by Kubuta MP Musa Mabuza and on the labour one, he was to be seconded by Sibusiso ‘Mabhanisi’ Dlamini.

The absence of the ministers disturbed House of Assembly Speaker Petros Mavimbela, who said the ministers absconded because they did not inform his office about their absence.

Mavimbela said this was not a good thing because it disturbed the progress of Parliament, to which the two ministers were accountable.

Minister of Public Works and Transport Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe tried to come to Mabuza’s rescue, but his effort was in vain.

He said he was the one acting at the ministry of agriculture and an instrument was sent by the ministry to the office of the speaker, informing him about the minister’s absence. In response, Mavimbela said he did not recognise that instrument because it was for the month of May.

Moment of silence observed for Temple

A moment of silence was observed for the late Senator Mike Temple yesterday in the House of Assembly.

The MPs and ministers did this first before doing any business of the House. House of Assembly Speaker Petros Mavimbela led the observation and all the submissions made that were related to Temple’s death.

Mavimbela started by telling the MPs that he was about to pass a very painful message.

“You may have already read in in the newspapers, but I am sent by the Temple family to formally report to you that Senator Mike Temple passed away on Friday morning at his home,” Mavimbela said.

Mavimbela said Temple was a senator because the House of Assembly elected him into the upper chamber. Temple was further elected by senators to represent the country at the Pan African Parliament (PAP).

The Speaker told the MPs that Temple was further trusted by the PAP members, who elected him to chair the Committee on Finance and Monetary Affairs.

The speaker sent condolences to Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, who is the minister responsible for Parliament affairs. He further sent condolences to Clerk to Parliament Ndvuna Dlamini, MPs and all senators for the terrible loss.

The speaker further allowed MPs and ministers to say a few words about Temple’s death. Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Moses Vilakati said Temple played a vital role in the development of the country. He was active in soccer and arts and wanted to see people develop.

He said he learnt a lot from Temple as a tourism minister as the late senator would make meaningful contributions.

Manzini South MP Thandi Nxumalo, who was Temple’s colleague at the PAP, described Temple as humble yet he had vast knowledge in politics, especially in PAP matters.

She said Temple was able to guide members of PAP during their sittings and they could feel that they were in the company of a knowledgeable colleague.

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