….As expressed during Sibaya
BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MBABANE – Eswatini’s history-making Deputy Prime Minister, Thulisile Dladla, is certainly the most qualified leader for the job.
This was evidenced in her submissions made during this year’s Sibaya People’s Parliament – only a few weeks before she made history as Eswatini’s first female Prime Minister.
During panel discussions at Sibaya, the Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation submitted solutions to service delivery, citing Section 218 of the Constition during her speech.
“Your Majesty, we luckily have our constitution which details very well how the three arms of Government should work together. A take home assignment for the three arms of Government is to study the Constition. Once they have studied it, the three heads of Government – the Prime Minister, the head of the judiciary, and the head of the legislature should have a workshop where the Attorney General takes them through the Constitution, explaining to them what their responsibilities are,” advised Minister Dladla on the ideal approach to ensuring that all three arms of Goverment coordinate effectively in serving the nation.
The DPM then also advised that members of Government should put the people first, and leverage the main objectives of the Tinkhundla system of Governance.
“Everyone knows how the Tinkhundla system works. Unfortunately, sometimes the elected representatives do not listen to the people,” she said.
“Luckily, there are committees based in the Tinkhundla to assess what Emaswati need. In each chiefdom there are bucopho, who are supposed to gather the people’s needs in that constituency. It is them who bring these issues to the Tinkhundla, so that when budgets are being formulated, they are based on assessments from communities and constituencies,” the Deputy Prime Minister had advised.
As fate would have it, the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office focuses primarily on service delivery, focusing on issues of children, the underpriveledged, as well as the elderly.
The Deputy Prime Minister officially took office today after the official swearing-in ceremony of cabinet members.
