BY MFANUFIKILE KHATHWANE
LOBAMBA – Members of Parliament were left visibly astonished on Monday after the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy openly admitted before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that she was not prepared to respond to a Financial Year Audit Report that has already been tabled in Parliament and made available to the public.
The unexpected admission triggered sharp questioning from Members of Parliament, who struggled to understand how a Controlling Officer responsible for overseeing one of Government’s key ministries could appear before Parliament without first familiarising herself with an official audit report that has been in the public domain since February.
The matter unfolded during a PAC sitting chaired by Acting Chairperson Honourable Mzwandile Mamba, where the Ministry of Natural Resources and Energy appeared alongside officials from the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC), the Eswatini National Petroleum Company (ENPC), and the Department of Geological Survey and Mines to respond to findings contained in the Auditor General’s report.
Proceedings took an unexpected turn after Mamba revealed that the Committee had received communication indicating that the Ministry was not ready to discuss the Financial Year Audit Report.
“There is a message we got from the Secretary saying the Ministry is not ready for the Financial Audit Report. Please clarify,” Mamba asked.
The Acting Chairperson questioned whether the Ministry intended to postpone accountability on the audit findings, warning that if necessary, the Committee would proceed with questioning the entities under the Ministry separately.
Responding to the concerns, Principal Secretary Lindiwe Mbingo told the Committee that she had only received the recommendations arising from the audit but had not obtained the actual Financial Year Audit Report for the period ending March 31, 2025.
“I did not get the Audit Report of March 31, 2025. I only got the recommendations. I have spoken to the secretaries; they will sort it very soon,” she explained.
Her response immediately prompted further questions from Members of Parliament, who pointed out that the report had already been tabled before Parliament several months earlier and was publicly accessible through Government platforms.
Acting Chairperson Mamba sought further clarification.
“Ngatsi uyangilahla… you mean the Audit Report which was tabled in Parliament in February and is already a public document?” he asked.
Mbingo’s response stunned the Committee.
“Yes Chair, I’m not ready for the Financial Year Audit Report,” she admitted.
When pressed to explain why she had failed to obtain a document that had long been available, the Principal Secretary conceded that she had no valid explanation.
“I have no valid reason. I have spoken with the secretaries to share it with me,” she said, adding that she expected the issue to be resolved soon.
Her admission drew disbelief from several Members of Parliament.
Bhekibandla Vilakati openly questioned the explanation, saying he found it difficult to believe that the Ministry’s Accounting Officer had not accessed a report that had already been officially presented to Parliament.
“I personally don’t believe that she doesn’t have it,” Vilakati remarked.
His sentiments were echoed by fellow Committee member Nomkhosi Masuku, who also expressed doubt over the explanation presented before the Committee.
Auditor General Timothy Matsebula also weighed in, clarifying that his office had worked extensively with Ministry officials throughout the audit process before the report was finalised.
“We have engaged the Ministry through all procedures of preparing the report, discussed issues that go to Parliament, and even visited sites with them. The document is also available on the Government website,” Matsebula told the Committee.
He noted that the audit process involves continuous engagement with ministries before reports are finalised, making the claim that the report had not been seen particularly surprising.
The Auditor General further observed that some senior officials who had participated during the audit process, including the Ministry’s Under Secretary, were absent from the PAC sitting.
Acting Chairperson Mamba expressed disappointment, saying the Committee had repeatedly encountered situations where Government ministries appeared before PAC without adequate preparation.
“This is not the first time. Previously we had acting officials, and today we have a Principal Secretary saying it is the first time she is seeing the Audit Report, yet it is already in the public space,” he said.
He stressed that Government ministries have a responsibility to appear before Parliament fully prepared, particularly when responding to findings of the Auditor General, which form a critical component of Parliament’s oversight role.
Although the atmosphere remained tense for much of the proceedings, Sontongo Member of Parliament Sandile Nxumalo briefly eased the mood by joking that “it is a blue Monday; things can be blue,” drawing laughter from Members across the chamber.
Despite the lighter moment, the Committee maintained that the matter was serious and resolved that the Ministry must urgently address the documentation gaps and return before Parliament fully prepared to account for the audit findings.
The incident underscored Parliament’s ongoing commitment to strengthening accountability and ensuring that public institutions respond adequately to audit findings aimed at improving governance, transparency and the effective management of public resources.
