BY PHESHEYA IAN KUNENE
MBABANE – In a bid to improve service delivery within the country’s regions, the Government has procured four trucks worth over E5.2 million.
The new trucks were presented by the Minister of Public Works and Transport Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe to the Minister for Tinkhundla Administration and Development Sikhumbuzo Dlamini. The trucks will be used at regional administration level in the four regions to deliver the needed services to the residents of each region. The presentation took place at Ezulwini.
Minister Sikhumbuzo Dlamini, said the acquisition of the four new trucks was long overdue as the shortage of vehicles for regional administration was a serious issue.
“These trucks were much needed as some of the vehicles that are currently being used are now old and spend most of the time in the garage being serviced. This will go a long way for the people on the ground that are providing services to the communities as the shortage of vehicles made it hard for them to do their jobs efficiently,” Dlamini said.
The Minister of Public Works and Transport Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe emphasised that he witnessed the transport challenges first hand in the Hhohho region. Importantly, he said the procurement of the trucks aimed to address logistical challenges and would play a vital role in ensuring timely delivery while also improving the lives of people living in the rural areas.
Hhohho Regional Administrator Princess Tsandzile noted that this significant step underscored the commitment of the Government of Eswatini to invest in strengthening regional service delivery, ensuring the accessibility and availability of all necessary resources for all citizens.
The princess thanked the ministers for their commitment and quick response to the challenges faced by chiefs in the regions as they were an extension of the government to the people. Furthermore, the princess hoped the new trucks would solve some of the challenges faced by the chiefs.
Manzini Regional Administrator Prince Gija echoed Princess Tsandzile’s sentiments. Prince Gija expressed profuse gratitude to Government, in particular the two ministers, for seeing the need to deliver the trucks to the regions. He described the trucks as the necessary tool to bring development closer to the people, who were resident in their respective regions.
“We understand that Government is operating under trying times, where resources are always limited. However, we are thankful that the administration found it necessary for us to receive the trucks, which are going to deliver a wide range of services to the people in constituencies within the respective regions,” Prince Gija said.
Speaking about the services, Prince Gija said the trucks were expected to deliver different building materials to places where certain projects were implemented. He stated that many people in regions had formed organisations under the Regional Development Fund (RDF), which would require certain buildings to be constructed for their businesses to operate. That was when the trucks would come in to help.
According to Dlamini, the need for such tools was high such that the truck allocated for the Manzini Region was already at work, servicing the residents within the region. He hoped that other trucks would be delivered to the regions because many services had to be delivered in the regions. The RA said some of the trucks had to be tankers, which would be responsible for availing water to the important structures within the regions, such as Royal residences, Royal kraals, and constituency centres.
Prince Gija said some of these structures were not situated in urban areas, where basic services such as provision of water, were readily available.
