‘ARREST US IF WE ARE CORRUPT’

MBABANE – As the war for the cost-of-living-adjustment (CoLA) rages on, civil servants say law enforcers should arrest anyone who is corrupt, even if it’s their members.

Members of public service associations (PSAs) are: the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU), National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) and Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP). The PSAs have for a long time complained that corruption was rife in government despite that they were the ‘core-engine’ or human resource that the State uses to render basic services to the populace.

A year ago, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) reported that some junior civil servants were multi-millionaires due to the benefits they reap from corrupt acts. The agency, assigned to deal with corruption in the country, stated that the junior officers were getting kickbacks from tenders awarded by their various ministries. This, the agency claimed, was done by demanding 10 per cent from the government suppliers; which some of the contractors have spoken about in hushed tones, as they fear jeopardising their future business prospects. In the stance of getting their CoLA, leaders of the various PSAs have claimed that they were not immune to the various corrupt acts that led to government losing billions over the years. Aubrey Sibiya, President of NAPSAWU, said the fact that government was corrupt was not merely an allegation but was shared by erstwhile Minister of Finance in the Ninth Parliament, Majozi Sithole.

Sithole, at the height of a financial crisis in the country in 2011, said the country was rich and should not be at financially dire straits. The former politician said about E80 million was lost per month to corruption. He said corruption was what brought government to its knees.  The ex-Mafutseni Constituency MP, termed corruption as ‘colluding and conniving in government in order to loot public funds’.

Procurement

The ex-minister said the government procurement system was filled with ‘schemes’ to steal public funds. To this, Sibiya said it was obvious that government was aware of tricks that led to the money being siphoned from it but failed to act. He called upon government to arrest any individual who was costing public service servants’ better remuneration through greed.
He said: “Those stealing from government coffers should be arrested and dealt with through the justice system; even if they are our members.”

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