BY THEMBA ZWANE
LOBAMBA – Ambassadors found to have misused public funds should be immediately recalled and never again be entrusted with handling taxpayers’ money, Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament (MP) Marwick Khumalo has said.
Khumalo made the submission in Parliament on Monday during the tabling of reports and debate on the adoption of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Report, where he called for tougher action against public officials implicated in financial mismanagement.
He argued that Parliament has a constitutional responsibility to protect public funds and should no longer tolerate officials who repeatedly abuse public resources.
“Those people should not be begged. They ought to be charged,” Khumalo told the House, urging Members of Parliament to support decisive action against corrupt public officials.
The MP alleged that some ambassadors implicated in financial mismanagement were simply transferred from one diplomatic mission to another instead of being held accountable. He warned that relocating such officials merely created opportunities for further abuse of public resources.
“For instance, an ambassador in Taiwan is relocated to South Africa, and they continue the same trend of misappropriating public funds. That person should no longer be entrusted with public funds,” he submitted.
Khumalo further claimed that one ambassador had allegedly refused to repay money after being instructed by a controlling officer to reimburse government for misappropriated funds.
“I am told there is another ambassador who was instructed by the controlling officer to repay money that had been misappropriated, but he blatantly refused to return those public funds,” he said.
He maintained that public officials who misuse government funds should face criminal prosecution instead of being repeatedly forgiven.
The MP challenged the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to take a stronger stance against corruption by recommending disciplinary action and ensuring that those responsible for financial misconduct are prosecuted.
Khumalo further argued that Parliament is the ultimate guardian of public finances and should resolve that officials found guilty of financial mismanagement should no longer serve as controlling officers or occupy positions in which they are responsible for handling public funds.
He cited the example of a controlling officer allegedly involved in the unlawful sale of government land near The Gables, saying Parliament should recommend that such officials be removed from office and that their contracts not be renewed.
Beyond the country’s diplomatic missions, Khumalo also raised concerns over government-funded projects that have stalled because of disputes among project committees.
He referred to a tractor purchased through the Regional Development Fund (RDF), alleging that it had remained idle because committee members had fallen into conflict.
According to Khumalo, government should recover such assets to prevent further wastage of public resources. Where projects have collapsed, he said, the assets should be sold through public auction instead of being left to deteriorate.
He also expressed concern over reports of financial mismanagement in some of Eswatini’s embassies, including the mission in Morocco, saying the country deserves representatives who uphold integrity and serve the public interest.
Concluding his submission, Khumalo urged Parliament to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to corruption by ensuring that public officials who misuse taxpayers’ money are removed from positions of trust, prosecuted where necessary and permanently barred from handling public funds in future.
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