BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Prime Minister (PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini and Auditor General (AG) Timothy Matsebula have committed to work together to fight corruption in the country.
The two public officers made that commitment today when Matsebula made a courtesy visit to the Prime Minister today at the Cabinet Offices in Hospital Hill, Mbabane. After the meeting, the PM took to his Facebook page and stated how their meeting went.
“We deliberated on the functions and mandate of the Office of the Auditor General, which aligns with Government’s zero-tolerance for corruption. The AG expressed the need to review the Office of the AG with the intention to build and strengthen its capacity,” Dlamini said.
In turn, Dlamini said he expressed Government’s support for the proposed review and strengthening, provided the exercise is conducted by an independent and competent agency. Government acknowledges the overall and ultimate purpose of the AG’s Office.
When opening the First Session of the 12th Parliament last month (February 9, 2024), His Majesty King Mswati III emphasised that Emaswati had to work hard to fight corruption, which was hindering the country’s efforts of improving its economy.
On the following Monday, in line with the King’s directive, the Prime Minister launched a tripartite task team to enhance Government’s fight against corruption. The task team was launched at Cabinet Offices at Hospital Hill in Mbabane. The task team consists of the Acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Lomvula Hlophe, Acting National Commissioner of Police Lydia Dlamini and Acting Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Maphevu Mkhatshwa and will report directly to the PM.
According to Dlamini, the task team will be responsible for investigating corruption allegations, prosecuting cases, implementing preventive measures, and strengthening legal frameworks to address corruption effectively. Immediately, the team is expected to deal with the currently obvious cases with the offenders brought to book with immediate effect just as it was commanded by His Majesty the King in his address to Parliament. Cases must be dealt with to finality and not be dropped mid process. The DPP is expected to prioritise corruption cases henceforth.
Present during the launch of the task team was Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs Prince Simelane, Attorney General (AG) Sifiso Khumalo, Acting DPP Lomvula Hlophe, Acting Police National Commissioner (NatCom) Lydia Dlamini, Acting ACC Commissioner Maphevu Mkhatshwa, Prime Minister’s Office Principal Secretary (PS) Bertram Stewart, Govenrment Spokesperson Alpheous, Nxumalo, Deputy Government Spokesperson Thabile Mdluli and members of various media houses in the country.
The PM and AG Khumalo explained that the task team would work collaboratively with the ACC, as the task team would actually oversee what would be done by the commission on the ground. They said the task team was well composed because they would ensure the smooth process of the prosecution of the cases, as they were from key institutions that were responsible for prosecuting criminal cases.
