BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – The scourge of corruption that has engulfed the country should have been tackled soon after Eswatini gained independence.
That early move would have helped Eswatini eradicate corruption at an early stage. This was said by Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Prince Simelane. This was during the sensitisation of Lutsango on the Leadership Code of Conduct (LCC) Bill, 2025.
This Bill, if eventually enacted into an Act of Parliament, seeks to instill integrity on public officers, in order to avoid instances where they are found to have been engaged in corrupt activities. Corruption has been found to have been a problem among Emaswati, as it plays a part in denying people service delivery. Eswatini was once reported to be losing E80 million per month due to corruption.
Speaking during the event, Prince Simelane told members of Lutsango that Eswatini was in this problem, hence Government saw it fit that it introduces this piece of legislation to remove the problem. The minister mentioned that there was a problem where one would find that public officials would have no regard for the needs of the people they were supposed to serve. Prince Simelane said this legislation was there to remind Emaswati, especially the public officials, that this positions they occupied did not belong to anyone, as they had been given to them on a temporary basis.
Prince Simelane even made an example of His Majesty King Sobhuza II, whom he described as a king that used to remind people to always respect anything that belonged to the nation. The minister also stated that His Majesty King Mswati III also mentioned that there were people who had forgotten that the positions and the privileges they had were given to them on temporary basis.
Prince Simelane said this Bill was in line with Section 239 to 244 of the Constitution. These sections call upon all public officials to work in a transparent manner, so that whatever they gain when they are in office cannot be questionable. It also calls upon all public officials to declare their assets in a correct manner before the integrity commission, so that it can be clear how they got their possessions.
(Courtesy Pics)
