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BY MFANUKHONA NKAMBULE EXPIRED CONTRACT?

20/09/2020 06:16:00 BY MBONGENI NDLELA

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MBABANE – Is Dr Edmund Mazibuko, the Registrar at the Examinations Council of Eswatini (ECESWA) working without a contract?

This is because fresh allegations have surfaced that Mazibuko’s contract allegedly expired on March 31, 2020, while the ministry of education and training claims Mazibuko had told them he would leave office in January 2021.

Mazibuko is currently under fire following a parliament report released on Wednesday which contains damning allegations of corrupt practices that are said to have played out at the council’s results and projects.

The allegations were widely published by the media this week.

However, Mazibuko quashed some of the allegations when he appeared before the Parliament Select Committee on Thursday.

He argued that the allegations were just a smear campaign from those who want his seat. He fired a broad salvo at Director Research Dr Clement Dlamini whom he claimed wanted to be registrar of the council.

Meanwhile, documents seen by the Times SUNDAY reflect that in 2013 government, through the Ministry of Education and Training, decided to renew his contract for five years plus a further two more years.

This publication has gathered that the issue of Mazibuko’s contract was discussed during the tenure of Wilson Makhalempi Ntshangase, who was the then Minister of Education and Training. The principal secretary at that time was Pat Muir.

It is stated in a letter dated February 28, 2013, signed by the retired Muir, that upon the lapse of the five-year contract, Dr Mazibuko would also be entitled to a further two-year extension.

If the letter of renewal is anything to go by, it would mean Mazibuko’s contract expired in March 2018. However, with the addition of the two more years, the contract expired in March this year.

is he in office legally?

Concerned parties have since wondered if Mazibuko’s stay in office was still legal.

For the past two weeks, Mazibuko has not responded to questions sent by the Times SUNDAY regarding the issue of his contract. The questions were sent to him on September 11 through a WhatsApp message to which he responded by promising to contact this journalist.

“Thank you for the text. I will contact you regarding it. Thanks,” he stated. On Friday, another message was forwarded to Mazibuko but he did not respond. Yesterday morning, his phone rang unanswered and an SMS was again forwarded to him but at the time of compiling this report, Mazibuko had still not responded.

However, Minister of Education and Training Lady Mabuza said she engaged Mazibuko about the issue of his contract. The politician, who also serves as Mafutseni Member of Parliament, said the response she got from Mazibuko was that he would be in office until January 2022.

“All I know is that his contract was renewed in 2018 when we were still not in office. I think it was extended by two or three years,” the minister said yesterday.

She continued: “As a ministry, we are still going to look at the issue of the contract,”

Meanwhile, when his contract was renewed in 2013, the ministry stated that government was happy with his performance.

The letter reads: “The ministry has received notification that the contract for Dr. Edmund Mazibuko will be coming to an end on the 28 February 2013 and that he has indicated his willingness to renew this contract.

“The ministry is further pleased to learn that the Examinations council is happy with Dr. Mazibuko’s performance and is in support of the request for renewal of the contract.”

It continues: “I have since discussed this issue with the Hon. Minister of Education and Training Wilson Ntshangase who has no objection to this recommendation.

“I am therefore pleased to inform you that the ministry is in support of Mazibuko’s application for renewal of a contract for the next five years with effect from 1 March 2013 to 1 March 2018.

“The ministry has also approved a two-year option to extend the contract when it comes to an end. The ministry hopes that this arrangement will bring stability to the Exams council and further allow the unfinished projects to be implemented to the fullest.”

snat against renewal

Sikelela Dlamini, Secretary General of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), said they did not support the renewal of a contract for people who had passed the compulsory retirement age.

“What normally happens is that when one’s contract expires, he or she gets a renewal. Even though we are not privy to the operations at ECESWA but as a Union, we do not support renewal of contracts for people who have passed the compulsory retirement period,” he said.

Dlamini added: “We believe the country has a rich pool of capability and therefore many emaSwati can be able to do the job that the registrar does. This is a simple professional and management issue which does not need its occupant to be a rocket scientist to be able to effectively run the ECESWA.”