BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – Government is now in the process of reforming legislations in Eswatini.
The intention of reforming these legislations is to ensure that they are relevant to the needs of the people who live in Eswatini. It will also be done to ensure that the legislations are not in conflict with one another and ensure that they protect everyone in the country, including investors.
Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Prince Simelane met with the House of Assembly’s Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Portfolio Committee to discuss on how the reform would be done.
During the meeting, which took place in the House of Assembly, Prince Simelane mentioned that there would be a committee that would be appointed to work on this matter. The minister informed the legislators that the committee would be led by a retired judge. However, the minister pleaded with the portfolio committee, which is chaired by Lobamba MP Michael Masilela, to work with his Ministry to provide guidance on how the reform would take place.
The MPs who are members of the portfolio committee made their submissions. Mayiwane MP Sicelo Prince Dlamini wanted to know how the resources for doing this important work would be obtained. He noted that Eswatini had many legislations and implementing this huge task would call for Government to dig deeper into its coffers. Manzini Region MP Thandeka Mavuso expressed her concern that the leader of the reform commission would be a retired judge. Mavuso wondered why such a thing happened because Eswatini had to open up job opportunities for the unemployed people, especially the youth.
Ntondozi MP Peter Ngwenya pleaded with the Ministry to ensure that the committee was given good working conditions. He said the task they would be implementing was very important and therefore, they needed to be given all the respect they deserved. In response, Minister Prince Simelane said the MPs raised valid concerns and stated that many of these concerns would be addressed by the Ministry and other stakeholders, working together with the portfolio committee.
He believed that with the guidance of the portfolio committee, they would be able to successfully implement this task. The minister said this task was very important because it was going to protect citizens of Eswatini and all those who lived within the country, while allowing them to achieve whatever they wanted to achive within the borders of the kingdom. He further mentioned that a sound justice system would give confidence to investors that their monies would not be lost because the entire justice system would be there to protect them.
