THEMBA MSIBI, PETROS FRONT RUNNERS IN RACE FOR SPEAKER

 EZULWINI – Front runners for the position of Speaker are Mhlambanyatsi MP-elect Petros Mavimbela and former Speaker Themba Msibi.

This was revealed yesterday when Members of Parliament (MPs) elect filled in the nomination forms for the Speaker’s position.
This was during the first orientation meeting for the incoming MPs of the 11th Parliament, which was held yesterday at the Royal Swazi Convention Centre.
However, the list is not exhaustive as Clerk to Parliament Ndvuna Dlamini gave the MPs-elect today’s deadline of 2:30pm to submit the names.

Interviewed after yesterday’s session, Mavimbela said he was willing and ready to stand for the position.
“I see no reason why I would decline if nominated, I would definitley accept,” said Mavimbela who held the position of Chair of Chairs during the Ninth Parliament.

Mavimbela is the MP-elect who ousted former Mhlambanyatsi MP and former Minister of Housing and Urban Development Phiwayinkhosi Mabuza during the Secondary Elections. 

Meanwhile, Msibi was also at the Royal Swazi  Sun Convention Centre and for a while, mingled with some of the MPs-elect and King’s appointees.
The clerk to Parliament encouraged the MPs-elect to quickly hand in the names of the nominees because he wanted to call the first sitting of the House of Assembly as early as possible, after consulting with the country’s authorities.

If anything, Dlamini wanted to reveal the names of the candidates at the Convention Centre, but some MPs-elect were of the view that there was no law allowing him to do that.

Dlamini, in his defence, said he wanted the process to be transparent, but the incoming legislators felt that he was jumping the gun and should hold on to the names until the first sitting where the swearing in ceremony would take place.

The clerk said he hoped that the first sitting would take place sometime this week, but he had to consult with the rightful authorities.
Meanwhile, the MPs-elect also had the opportunity to nominate a candidate for the position of Deputy Speaker, and some of the names which were thrown about included that of Manzini South MP-elect Thandi Nxumalo, Mafutseni MP-elect Lady Howard and Matsanjeni North MP-elect Phila Buthelezi.

The clerk informed the MPs-elect that precedence had been to the effect that if the Speaker was male, then his deputy would be female, to balance the gender.
However, this did not go down well with the incoming legislators who said Dlamini should not speak as if that was something which was a law.
According to the House of Assembly Standing Orders, at the first sitting of a new Parliament after they have been sworn in, a member of the House will propose the name of the person within or outside the House, whether sworn or unsworn.

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