BY MBONO MDLULI
LOBAMBA – There is an amount of E5.6 million that is set to be used for the construction of houses for vulnerable people.
The money is set to be donated by the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan). This transpired in the House of Assembly on February 26, 2025 during the 2024/25 performance debate of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (DPMO). The debate was done by Members of Parliament (MPs) who are members of the DPMO portfolio committee.
During the debate, many issues were raised by the MPs. They pointed out that there was a need for Govenrment to implement the funeral cover for the eldely people in the country. The also mentioned that the food distribution to vulnerable people was not enough, as more people were in need of the food. There were many other issues that were talked about, including the need to improve the OVC fund.
In response to these concerns by the MPs, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thulisile Dladla understood the plight of the MPs and the people they represented from their respective constituencies. Dladla was of the view that there was a need of the Disaster Management Fund, which she believed was going to play a huge role in addressing these problems.
She suggested that an amount of E1 billion would be needed for this fund. This was mainly because most people in the country would claim to be vulnerable and argue that they also had to be included in the fund. However, the DPM discouraged instances where people would claim vulnerability when they had means of looking after themselves.
Dladla also mentioned that the distribution of resources should be fair and prioritise those that had been deemed to be extremely vulnerable. Dladla also informed the MPs that the OVC fund would be going to the be managed under the Ministry of Education and Training. This came after some of the head teachers complained that they were not under the DPMO, an office that seemed to be dictating terms to them, regarding the OVC, which were paid for by the DPMO.
The DPM said she was handing over the OVC fund from the goodness of her heart, out of the request from the head teachers, who felt the fund should be under the Education Ministry. Howver, some MPs had a problem with the fact that the fund would now be managed by the Education Ministry. Ngudzeni MP Charles Ndlovu said there were many problems at the Ministry of Education and Training and he felt the fund could be affected by the problems.
