BY MBONO MDLULI
LOBAMBA – The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has agreed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation should re-advertise the Government house in Matola, which was in the market for a long time.
The PAC is concerned by the fact that about E1.4 million has now been spent on maintaining the property, while the Ministry had been looking for a buyer. This transpired on April 7, 2025 in the House of Assembly, when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation appeared before the PAC.
While the committee was following up on how far the Ministry had gone in implementing the PAC’s previous recommendations, it appeared that the Government house in Matola, Mozambique had been in the market for a long time. When the PAC enquired why such was the case, they were informed of some difficulties that the Ministry encountered while trying to sell the house. This house used to be used by the country’s envoys to Mozambique.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Principal Secretary (PS) Sizwe Ntshangase informed the committee that many of the buyers they came across wanted to buy the house for prices that they deemed uncompetitive. Ntshangase further informed the PAC that they came across a Liswati, who wanted to buy the house.
The PS said the Liswati offered to buy the house at a competitive price. However, there were challenges also, which dragged the whole process. Ntshangase said for one to own a property in Mozambique, that country’s citizenship was needed. Another option would be to register a company in that country. The Liswati buyer did not have the Mozambican citizenship and was finding it difficult to register a company in that country.
Ntshangase informed the committee that the Ministry now wanted to re-advertise the house so that buyers could have another opportunity to buy the house. The PAC approved of that moved, stating that the house had now been in the market for a long time and a lot of money was wasted in the process.