HEAVY RAIN WASHES AWAY SENATE SITTING

LOBAMBA – Talk about a rain-drenched Senate session! Despite being inside an honourable house, senators yesterday were no different from people walking on the streets on a rainy day.

While one would expect them to be comfortable and protected against any weather conditions, they were forced to watch their documents and comfortable chairs being drenched.
This was when the Senate roof proved how it had become disastrously old, as it was affected by the torrent rainfall which caused it to leak just before lunch.

Interestingly, Parliament went through some renovations which included painting of its walls, installing of new lights and fixing of its roof during the preparation for the official opening of the last session of the 10th Parliament.
The ceremony took place in February where His Majesty King Mswati III delivered his Speech from the Throne.
It was just after noon when the senators who were sitting for a stakeholders’ session on the Sexual Offences and Domestic Violence Bill were disturbed by sounds of thunder, which were followed by the heavy rains. The showers became serious and the leaking roof was exposed as those who sat at the small gallery which accommodates guests and members of the media were most affected.
A bigger part of the walls and benches became wet, which forced members of the media to move and find alternative seats.

Interestingly, Clerk to Parliament Ndvuna Dlamini was in attendance and witnessed the incident. He, however, did not comment on the incident when confronted by reporters.
The most notable damage was at the corner where documents such as ministerial reports and other files are kept, as they became wet because of the downpour.
Parliament messengers tried their best to remedy the situation by fetching basins and buckets to contain the water and further protect the documents.

As journalists took pictures of the wet documents and basins, some of the senators commented and said they did not understand where the money to renovate the structure had gone.
Others said they wished that officials from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport were around to see what had become of the Parliament roofing.
“They lied and said they were renovating the place yet they only painted just for the Parliament opening. After the event no one cares,” one of them said.
It should be noted that a plan to construct a new Parliament has already been declared, with about E250 million budgeted for its design.
The current one has not only become old but has had challenges in accommodating a big number of people, especially during special events such as the official opening.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: