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GOVERNMENT HOUSES TURNED TO CHURCHES

02/03/2015 09:08:00 BY MBONGENI NDLELA

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MBABANE – While civil servants are struggling to find accomodation, two houses belonging to government have been turned into churches.

These houses are located at Magele and Nsindzandlala – in Mbulungwane Inkhundla. Mbulungwane is in the Shiselweni region.

According to Phestecia Nxumalo, the Auditor General (AG) the house at Magele is numbered NB 166 while the one at Nsindzandlala is not numbered.

Allowances

"I am concerned that government paid housing allowances to officers who could have occupied these houses, which cost could have been avoided. This in turn increases government expenditure," the AG said in her Report for the 2013/2014 financial year.

Nxumalo said when she asked the controlling officer about the issue of the houses the response she got was that the Shiselweni extension officer instructed that the houses remained vacant because government had not replaced employees who had terminated their services.

The Auditor General said the controlling officer’s enquiry revealed that the house at Nsindzandla is already numbered and allocated to an extension officer who, however, filed a complaint about its condition, this was that the said house had no electricity.

Nxumalo said the controlling officer stated that the ministry of Public Works was requested to renovate the house but the ministry declined, stating that it could not renovate an unoccupied house because it is prone to vandalism.

The AG said the controlling officer stated that the ministry of Agriculture informed the ministry of Tinkhundla Administration and Development that they were aware of the church occupying the government house.

The officer further stated that the Ministry of Tinkhundla informed the Ministry of Agriculture to stop the church from using the house.

"Though the reason to request the church to use the house was for a good purpose there is no evidence of the authority from the ministry responsible for housing. Furthermore, the information that the house was in the process of being renovated was not given during inspection," Nsumalo said.