Times Of Swaziland: PM: WHY I DESERVE E5.5M HOUSE

PM: WHY I DESERVE E5.5M HOUSE
================================================================================
BY SIBONGILE SUKATI on 14/03/2018 01:39:00


MBABANE – The Prime Minister Barnabas Sibusiso Dlamini, is not going down
without a fight.
This, he made clear yesterday in the House of Assembly when he, at length,
debated why he deserved a retirement home.
Dlamini went as far as including the King’s name, whom he said had even
allocated the piece of land where the PM’s house would be constructed.
He said in the location which had been approved by the King, there was no house
that was under E10 million.  Dlamini said he would, however, not state which
location it was for now.
“Angeke kube lidlokolo (the house will not be a shack or substandard),” said
Dlamini.
The PM, who was speaking in a very shaky voice which got the legislators
worried, said he deserved the house because those were the provisions of Finance
Circular No.2 of 2013.
The bone of contention between the PM and the Members of Parliament (MPs) was
that the latter wanted to reduce the budget allocation of E5.5 million of the
house to E3 million.
Nkwene MP Sikhumbuzo Dlamini said the house was too expensive, particularly
since the designs alone were E1.5 million.
However, the PM said those were the provisions of Circular No.2, which he
deserved for a man in his position. He said during the Ninth Parliament, there
was Finance Circular No.1 of 2010 which had been created by Cabinet, however,
during one of the Sibaya meetings, the nation called for its removal.
“The resolution was that a Royal Commission be put in place by the King which
he duly did and they came up with the new conditions of service,” said the PM.
The leader of Cabinet business said the new Circular stipulated that the PM must
be respected and that when he vacated office, he must be constructed a house, a
car which would be filled up by government and pension.”