BY MBONGENI NDLELA
LOBAMBA – Members of Parliament have called for the arrest and prosecution of government officials and private companies implicated in corruption, insisting that those responsible for the abuse of public funds must face the full force of the law.
The calls were made on Monday during a debate on the adoption of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report in the House of Assembly. The sitting’s Order Paper also included the tabling and adoption of reports, questions for oral answers, an urgent matter of public importance and a private member’s motion.
As MPs debated the committee’s findings on government financial management, several legislators argued that exposing financial irregularities alone was no longer enough and urged law enforcement agencies to ensure that both public officials and private companies implicated in corrupt activities are arrested and prosecuted.
Leading the debate was Mbabane East Member of Parliament Welcome Dlamini, who challenged the PAC to transform itself from merely uncovering wrongdoing into an institution that delivers tangible consequences for corruption.
Dlamini said the committee should not become a “skyscraper” that only intimidates or scares those involved in financial misconduct while ultimately failing to secure justice.
“The Public Accounts Committee must crack the whip. It should not simply expose wrongdoing and leave matters there. Those responsible, whether government officials or companies that have benefited from corrupt dealings, must be arrested and prosecuted,” he said.
The legislator argued that the continued loss of public funds deprives ordinary emaSwati of essential services, including healthcare, education, infrastructure development and employment opportunities.
He maintained that taxpayers expect Parliament to safeguard every lilangeni allocated to government institutions and ensure that public resources are utilised for their intended purposes.
Dlamini further expressed concern that repeated audit findings pointing to financial mismanagement continue to surface year after year, raising questions about whether sufficient deterrent measures are being implemented against offenders.
He said the country would only begin to win the fight against corruption when those found guilty face meaningful legal consequences rather than administrative reprimands alone.
Other legislators echoed similar sentiments, calling for stronger collaboration between oversight institutions and law enforcement agencies to ensure investigations are completed swiftly and prosecutions pursued wherever evidence exists.
They argued that recovering lost public funds and holding perpetrators accountable would strengthen public confidence in government institutions and demonstrate that corruption carries serious consequences.
The MPs further stressed that private companies implicated in fraudulent procurement practices or irregular financial dealings should not escape accountability simply because they operate outside government.
They said businesses found to have colluded with public officials to defraud the state should face criminal prosecution, blacklisting from future government contracts and the recovery of improperly obtained funds.
The robust debate reflected Parliament’s growing determination to strengthen financial accountability and reinforce the country’s fight against corruption, with legislators insisting that protecting public resources remains essential to national development and good governance.
