BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – An amount of E6 million has been allocated for the re-construction of two constituency (Tinkhundla) centres.
According to the 2024/25 first quarter performance report for the Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development, the allocated funds are for the reconstruction of Ngwempisi and Hosea Tinkhundla Centres.
“The project has been allocated E6 million local funds for the continuation and completion of reconstruction of Tinkhundla Centres damaged during the unrest, for the 2024/25 financial year. The allocated funds are for the reconstruction of Ngwempisi and Hosea Tinkhundla Centres,” states part of the report.
The Tinkhundla Ministry has submitted requisitions to incur capital expenditure amounting to E6 million to enable the Microprojects Programme to engage contractors for the works. During the last financial year, the Ministry engaged contractors for the reconstruction of eight Tinkhundla Centres, namely Kwaluseni, Sandleni, Ndzingeni, LaMgabhi, Kukhanyeni, Somntongo, Timphisini and Ngudzeni Tinkhundla.
These are at varying levels of completion. Four Tinkhundla Centres, Kwaluseni, Ndzingeni, LaMgabhi and Sandleni have been completed and are ready for handover. The other Tinkhundla Centres (Kukhanyeni, Timphisini, Ngudzeni and Somntongo) have contracts awarded in April 2024.
The Ministry has been allocated E5 million for the development of a framework for the development of Tinkhundla Development Plans. The purpose of the project is to enable the harmonisation and institutionalisation of short, medium, and long-term planning for Tinkhundla through the development of a Tinkhundla Integrated Development Planning Framework (TIDPF).
The Ministry has prepared terms of reference for the engagement of a Professional Resource Team (PRT) to conduct a broader stakeholder engagement, undertake all necessary preparatory work, develop the TIDPF and build capacity within Ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development (MTAD) through a mentorship programme to develop and update Integrated Development Plans for all Tinkhundla in the country. The Ministry has submitted a Requisition to incur Capital Expenditure amounting to E5 million for the project to commence.
The Ministry was allocated a total of E14.735 million for the implementation of the capital programme. Funds had not been released during the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year. The Ministry has applied and has been granted the Authority to Commit Public Funds from the Ministry of Finance. Procurement processes for the rehabilitation and reconstruction projects are handled by the Microprojects Programme and this will inform the Ministry on the adequacy of the allocated funds.
The Ministry has institutionalised monitoring through fortnightly meetings with Microprojects Programme and the engaged contractors to ensure challenges are identified and mitigated early to ensure timely completion of projects. The shortage of transport within the Ministry remains a challenge to the participation in these monitoring activities.
The Ministry has worked with the Microprojects Programme to reduce the contract period for the implementation of the reconstruction project. The contracts have been reduced from eight months to four months, which will speed up the delivery of the infrastructure. This will ensure projects are implemented within the financial year. This also necessitates the timely release of funds to fast-track implementation of projects.
