WALTER BENNETT GRILLS COUNCIL

MBABANE – Different year, same drama! This was the situation during the Municipal Council of Mbabane Annual General (AGM) held at Emafini yesterday.

As was the case last year, the highlight was a verbal attack on the council by businessman Walter Bennett, who demanded to know why stakeholders were notified late about the AGM and further questioned the non-availability of financials for the 2016/2017 financial year.
According to the outspoken former senator, who had the microphone for close to an hour, the council had a duty to ensure the importance of releasing information and inviting ratepayers and stakeholders.
avail

“It seems like there is a consistent effort not to avail information for public scrutiny. I say this because the notice about this meeting came out in one newspaper on Sunday, yet in previous years, it would be availed in both the country’s two major newspapers. How do you expect the people to see the notice on a Sunday and in one newspaper?” he asked.

He said he was disappointed that when one needed the financials of the council, they had to run from pillar to post between the office of the director of finance and that of the chief executive officer, stating that he did not know what the intention was.
“As far as I know, the financials of the council are public information. But here you are making it look like it is a privilege to avail them to the people. Nihlose ini vele?” he asked in vernacular which means, ‘What are your intentions?’

He informed the meeting how he had made all attempts available in the morning before the start of the meeting, to obtain a hard copy of the financials but was told that copies were not available and that the few that had been prepared had been given to banks.

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