KING CHRISTENS SINCEPHETELO BUILDING, EKUPHILENI CLINIC

EZULWINI – When a baby is born, he/she is given a new name. His Majesty King Mswati III did just that when he officially opened the approximately E200 million structure of the Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (SMVAF), yesterday.

The structure houses the organisation’s headquarters and a clinic.
His Majesty has christened the building Sincephetelo Building and the clinic, Ekuphileni Clinic.
The christening was received by an arousing applause and screams of ‘Bayethe’ from the approximately 300 people who were gathered at the Royal Swazi Convention Centre.

This was where speeches and refreshments were served after the King had earlier toured the structures.
When officially opening the building, he first cut the ribbon then unveiled the plaque.

He then toured the facility, starting with the offices before inspecting the clinic.
The building also houses two other organisations; Elizabeth Glaser and the Swaziland Water and Agricultural Development Enterprise (SWADE).

During the guided tour, His Majesty would occasionally pose questions to the fund’s Chairman of the Board, Zweli Jele.
The King was also shown state-of-the-art medical equipment, which he later described as those fit for the First World.
“This reminded me that this country will also be constructing a referral hospital at Elangeni. It is important that the SMVAF clinic should collaborate with the management of the hospital.”

He encouraged the nation to utilise equipment for medical check-ups, which he described as very important.
Applauded
“The equipment there can be utilised by any person. From head to toe, you can be checked, even if you have other issues that are not necessarily visible to the eye,” he said, sending the crowd into stitches of laughter.
The King then applauded that the equipment was brought to the clinic by people who were highly determined and loved the country.
Before christening the building, the King said the history of SMVAF stated that the organisation relied on government subvention.   
“However, there were men and women in the past board, management and staff who dedicated themselves to the sustainability and development of this organisation. And here we are today, celebrating their efforts.”
He noted that this proved that as human beings, there was no need to lose hope.
Amid challenges, His Majesty said human beings persevered and managed to overcome them.
“This goes to show that the people at the SMVAF understand that in order to attain Vision 2022, one must be determined. And they should also have a mindset of never to fail before a mission is accomplished,” he said, to a resounding applause.
He told the gathering that he had been informed that the Fund had disbursed over E1.5 billion to date.
Adding, the King said this was disbursed to victims and survivors of accidents.
Dispersed
“One might be tempted to think that since they have disbursed so much money, the fund has gone bankrupt.
‘‘I’m glad to announce to you that allay your fears, SMVAF still has money as I was informed that currently, they have in excess E500 million in their account,” His Majesty said.
He assured that the E500 million was money in the bank, which does not include the debts incurred when constructing the structure worth over E200 million.
Bringing confidence to the nation, the King said in the unlikely event a person was involved in an accident, the organisation still has funds in its coffers.
He implored the nation to take precaution when driving by being cognisant of road signs and regulations.
“It is not expected of drivers to be on the road when drunk or being intoxicated by some other drugs.”
Deliberately
He further said no one should deliberately cause accidents, thinking that the SMVAF would take care of them.
SMVAF Chief Executive Officer Helmon Vilakati assured His Majesty that successful management of the organisation would depend on collaborative efforts among stakeholders and other parties.
Vilakati paid special tribute to Their Majesties for their wise guidance directly and through the country’s governing structure responsible for the operations of the fund, namely Parliament, Cabinet and the Board.
The function was attended, among others, by Emakhosikati, Emazinyane, the royal family, Cabinet ministers, chief executive officers of various organisations, staff and management of the Board.

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