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GOVT CARS ROTTING AT MINISTRIES’ YARDS

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MBABANE – Government is losing money through vehicles that are rotting in ministries’ backyards and parking lots.

Random visits into these parking lots found that at least seven motor vehicles have been kept on the ministries’ yards for over a year or two, yet there were options to either repair or dispose of them through the annual Central Transport Administration auctions. One of these vehicles, a Land Rover registered GSD 025 ED was in a terrible state when Eswatini News saw it on Tuesday within the Ministry of Education and Training backyard. 

Officials said it had been parked there for over a year. However, it was suddenly removed from the yard and towed away to the CTA on Thursday morning. There were also two other Quantum kombis that had been parked at the ministry yard for several months because they had mechanical malfunctions.

Also, in a similar state of disrepair were three cars found at the parking lot of the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs. These are; a Mitsubishi Sedan registered GSD 034 TC, a Nissan Double Cab registered GSD 006 TC and one Toyota bakkie registered GSD 012 HO. 

Similarly, officials and members of the public said they had been seeing the vehicles parked there for over a year. 

A few other vehicles were parked at the Regional Administration parking lot in Manzini, also bearing signs that there had been there for months. Some of their wheels are now flat and risk being permanently damaged, while the front wheel of one of the vehicles has been removed.

Parts

Communications Officer in the Ministry of Tourism, Baphelele Dlamini could only speak for the two cars of his ministry, saying they were both reported to the CTA for repairs, but there was shortage of car parts. “The ministry is still waiting for response from the CTA, but this is work in progress,” he said.

Ministry of Education and Training Acting Principal Secretary Bheki Gama confirmed that some cars that required repairs were parked in his ministry’s parking lot, but said the issue was being corrected in conjunction with the CTA.

“After the cars encountered mechanical problems we thought it was best to keep them here until replacement parts have been secured. Our feeling was that if we take them to CTA, they may incur more mechanical problems,” he said.

He said the Public Accounts Committee, during familiarisation tours, had also found the vehicles and said they must be removed. “This is why we decided to remove the Rover because it is old now and fit to be sold on public auction, while we are still talking about the issue of the others which need parts,” Dlamini said.

Recently, this newspaper also published an account of a government vehicle that was involved in an accident and later left to rot at a homestead at Ezulwini, where the driver was renting a flat two years ago. When the driver relocated, he left the car behind. After the exposé by the newspaper, the CTA swiftly went to collect the car. The General Transport Manager, Washington Khumalo, confirmed that the car was removed and said the CTA was not responsible for it staying at the homestead. 

Accidents

Meanwhile, the Auditor General, Timothy Matsebula, recently observed in his compliance report that millions of taxpayer’s money is lost through non-compliance with government regulations in the handling of motor vehicles that are either broken down or involved in accidents.

Matsebula found that the ministries were violating Section 6 (11) of the Financial Management and Accounting Procedures Manual on Loss or Damage of Stores Items/Equipment which states that “any damage to or loss of stores or equipment through fraud, theft, misuse or negligence mustbe brought to account as soon as possible and in accordance with Chapter 15 of the Stores Regulations”.

During audit exercises, the AG had also stumbled across vehicles, mostly the yellow plant, having been abandoned in ministries and not taken to the CTA.

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