BY THEMBA ZWANE
LOBAMBA – Government should immediately stop assigning multi-billion-emalangeni infrastructure projects to the unit responsible for the International Convention Centre (ICC) until it completes the long-delayed convention centre project, Kubuta Member of Parliament Mzwandile Mamba has urged.
The legislator made the call in Parliament on Monday during debate on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Report, where he expressed concern over what he described as serious governance, accountability and oversight failures surrounding one of the country’s most expensive public infrastructure projects.
Mamba said the ICC project had become a symbol of unchecked cost escalation, noting that its estimated cost had increased dramatically from about E300 million when it was first conceived to more than E5 billion.
He argued that such a massive increase demanded tougher scrutiny from Parliament and raised serious questions about the management of public infrastructure projects.
“The project has taken far too long and its cost has grown to levels that should concern every taxpayer,” he told the House.
The MP further criticised the structure under which the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development oversees major government projects.
According to Mamba, the ministry performs too many functions under one roof by planning projects, allocating resources, implementing them, while also monitoring and evaluating their progress.
He said concentrating all these responsibilities within one institution weakens accountability and creates opportunities for abuse of public resources.
“It is therefore not surprising that the cost of the ICC project has escalated the way it has,” he said.
Mamba also referred to findings contained in the PAC report indicating that approximately E325 million was spent without supporting documentation.
He argued that expenditure of such magnitude, without the necessary documentation or legal authority, amounted to unlawful spending of public funds.
He questioned how such expenditure could be justified when there was no supplementary budget or other legal instrument authorising it.
“The ministry was able to spend these funds because it plans for government, allocates resources and oversees implementation. This concentration of responsibilities creates room for abuse,” he submitted.
The MP further raised concern over the legal status of the Millennium Projects Department, saying the unit was operating without legislation clearly defining its mandate, powers and responsibilities.
He questioned how Parliament could effectively exercise oversight over an institution that lacked a legal framework establishing its authority.
“How do you determine whether officials have broken the law or misused public funds when there is no legal instrument establishing their powers?” he asked.
He warned that the absence of such legislation created loopholes that could encourage corruption, financial mismanagement and abuse of taxpayers’ money.
Mamba therefore called on Government to refrain from assigning the Millennium Projects Department any additional mega infrastructure developments until the ICC project had been successfully completed.
Among the projects he said should not be handed to the department were the proposed new Parliament building, future stadium developments and referral hospital projects.
“This unit must first finish the ICC project before being entrusted with any other national infrastructure projects,” he said.
The MP also questioned why a relatively small department with only a handful of officials continued to oversee projects worth billions of emalangeni while the Ministry of Public Works and Transport possessed significantly greater technical expertise, engineering capacity and human resources.
He said government should make better use of institutions with proven technical capability to deliver major infrastructure projects efficiently.
Mamba concluded by urging Parliament to strengthen its oversight role to ensure public funds are safeguarded and that government institutions are held fully accountable for every emalangeni spent.
“We have a constitutional responsibility to protect public resources and ensure that waste, abuse and corruption are not allowed to continue,” he said.
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