Times Of Swaziland: NEWS OF MISSING E5.1BN DISGUSTING - TUCOSWA

NEWS OF MISSING E5.1BN DISGUSTING - TUCOSWA
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 BY SIBONGILE SUKATI on 17/11/2016 02:15:00


MBABANE – Shocking and disgusting! These are the two words that have been used
by the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) in reaction to news that
funds amounting to E5.1billion had gone missing or were unaccounted for from the
Treasury Department.
TUCOSWA has, as a result, called upon Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini
to within a month launch an inquiry headed by a judicial officer of national
repute or a judicial inquiry.
The missing E5.1 billion was highlighted during an audit of the Accountant
General’s (AG) office by Audit Firm Kobla Quashie and Associates.
The workers’ organisation said the judicial officer appointed to investigate
the matter should be aided by local and international experts for example from
the Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) and the African Development Bank in
order to get to the bottom of this matter.
“Failure to address this matter will leave us with no option but to call for a
national shutdown in order that the due importance and urgency of the matter is
appreciated,” reads the statement issued by the Secretary General Vincent
Ncongwane, on behalf of the secretariat.
He said no stone should remain unturned in this regard. The audit came after the
late AG Fanisile Mabila was arrested and Members of Parliament (MPs) called for
a probe into the matter.
TUCOSWA said amid reports that government might have to halt some capital
projects, struggling to meet its obligations to its own employees and had
resolved to stop employing because of financial shortages, it was absolutely
unacceptable that funds amounting to over 35 per cent of the national budget of
Swaziland could just go missing without any sense of alarm was beyond their
comprehension.
“It is also important to note that two years ago the then principal secretary
of the Ministry of Finance was demoted for reporting to Parliament that funds
that were unaccounted for had been used by Labadzala and that these funds might
have been lost by the computer system,” reads the statement.