Times Of Swaziland: ROLLS-ROYCES PURCHASED PRIVATELY, NOT BY GOVT – PM

ROLLS-ROYCES PURCHASED PRIVATELY, NOT BY GOVT – PM
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BY SABELO MAJOLA on 14/11/2019 01:16:00


MBABANE – Government has set the record straight on the purchase of the fleet
of Rolls-Royce cars which caused a frenzy, particularly in social media.
Head of government, Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, emphasised that the
continued attack on His Majesty King Mswati III in relation to the purchase of
vehicles, particularly, the Rolls Royce fleet, was misinformed.
He said these vehicles were purchased privately and not through the public purse
and no money from the national budget went to the purchase of these cars.
The PM said they had noted that opportunists had taken advantage of the current
situation to ridicule the head of State through misinformation that serves their
own agendas.
He asserted that government had noted the proliferation of misguided utterances
on social media and international media forums and would like to advise emaswati
to refuse to be drawn by elements that intended to destabilise the peace
synonymous with our kingdom. This was during a press conference held at the
Cabinet Offices yesterday.
“We respect and recognise the rights of freedom of speech and freedom of
assembly. These rights do not extend to hate speech, inciting violence or
supporting organisations that have been proscribed for terrorist activities in
the kingdom,” he said.
Protest
The PM said persons considering taking part in protest actions should ensure
that they did not violate the Suppression of Terrorism Act of 2008 as amended,
or the Public Order Act of 2017 or any other law. He said violators of the law
would be prosecuted.
“It is the responsibility of all emaswati to respect and protect the integrity
of the King and Ingwenyama as Head of State.
Government will not tolerate statements that are demeaning to the person of His
Majesty and the institution of the Monarchy. We appeal to all emaswati to always
project the respect for which we are proudly known for as we have no other
country but Eswatini. Currently, the nation is in the season of Incwala where we
expect all emaswati to respect our tradition,” he added.
Dlamini further said His Majesty’s government was committed to protecting the
peace and stability Eswatini had always been known for globally and they shall
always be open to advice and criticism when their decisions were challenged.
Meanwhile, the PM was on record saying government takes full responsibility of
the purchase of the BMW VIP and escort vehicles.
It was confirmed that there were 126 units bought by government from a BMW plant
in South Africa. The purchase of the fleet came against  the backdrop of an
ailing economy, where the country was struggling to meet its obligations.
From the 126 units, 42 are BMW K1600 GT motorcycles while the remaining 84 units
are made up of BMW X3 xDrive 3.0d and BMW 540i models.
“Government receives the public criticism regarding the purchase of the
vehicles given the current financial situation in the country.  It is worth
noting that the decision to replace the fleet was taken in July 2018 before
austerity measures were put in place.
A commitment was made with the supplier at that time hence the agreement could
not be reversed now as doing so could lead to litigation which would come with
adverse consequences for government,” he asserted.
Dlamini said as previously stated, the purchase of this fleet was in line with
government policy to replace cars after five years. He said most of the VIP and
escort vehicles being replaced now were 11 years old and others were no longer
roadworthy, which was a huge cost to government as they had to constantly cater
for the repairs of the cars. He said government saved a lot of money from having
a newer fleet because it came with a warranty and service plan.