BY EPN Reporter
MBABANE – There are no untouchable people in this country, such that they cannot be arrested for corruption.
Prime Minister Russell Dlamini said this in response to the question from the media during the breakfast meeting between him and the Eswatini Editors Forum.
Dlamini said he was even shocked to hear from the media that Auditor General (AG) Timothy Matsebula said there were people who were untouchable, who could not be arrested for corruption.
The Premier assured the members of the media that they assigned the Anti-Corruption Task Team to go with their full might against people suspected to be corrupt. The Prime Minister said he was still going to consult with the AG and find out from him who these untouchable people he talked about were. “From where I am sitting, there are no untouchable people,” Dlamini said.
On Monday this week, House of Assembly Speaker Jabulani Mabuza called upon the AG to disclose names of some people he was reported to have said could not be arrested.
Mabuza said this today in the House of Assembly when MPs debated the 2023/24 performance of the Ministry of Finance. “We read in the newspapers where we heard that the AG talked about untouchable people who cannot be arrested,” Mabuza said.
The Speaker believed that Matsebula said this because he knew who those people were and he was ready to disclose them. He challenged the AG to mention those people.
Mabuza pointed out that it was known all over the country that there were certain people that could not be arrested.
Mabuza said that was also enshrined in the Constitution. Mabuza was of the view that the AG would not talk about such people when he talked about those untouchables.
The Speaker viewed AG’s statement, if it was true, as a dent to the image of the country. “People will start believing that all people are corrupt in Eswatini, yet there are people who are of integrity,” he said.
