20 MINS, E24 500 FOR PARLY JOINT SITTING

LOBAMBA –  Twenty minutes!

This is the time that the joint sitting of both the House of Assembly and Senate lasted in Parliament yesterday. 

The joint sitting was attended by about 70 members of Parliament (MPs) and senators after His Majesty King Mswati III ordered the legislators to ratify 11 international conventions and treaties, which were all given the green light by the lawmakers. 

This means government will pay about E24 500 in sitting allowances as each legislator is entitled to E350, despite that the joint sitting lasted for a mere 20 minutes.  Chaired by House of Assembly Speaker Petros Mavimbela, the sitting commenced at 10:40am and the House was adjourned at 11am. 

chamber

Mavimbela made his entrance into the chamber in the company of Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini and Attorney General Sifiso Khumalo. 

In the quest to adhere to the COVID-19 regulations, some of the legislators were seated at the gallery, which is normally reserved for members of the public wishing to be witnesses in the parliamentary sessions.  After prayer and welcoming the legislators in the House, Speaker requested Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Thuli Dladla to motivate for the ratification of the 11 international instruments. 

The minister put it to the legislators to adopt the instruments and got the House mumbling when she teasingly told the legislators that she was expecting no questions on the motions of the international instruments as all the legislators had been engaged through workshops on the instruments.

 The 11 instruments include the Agreement establishing the Tripartite Trade Area encompassing the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community (COMESA-EAC-SADC), the Economic Partnership Agreement between Southern African Customs Union member States and Mozambique of the one part and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland of the other part. 

Another instrument which the minister said was of great significance and needed no hesitation in ratifying was the African Road Safety Charter, which is an instrument that commits member States of the African Union to improve their transport infrastructure and health services so as to prevent road crashes and fatalities. It is about the development of infrastructure and associated services in Africa and to put in place safer roads for Africa’s development. 

When members of the ministry’s portfolio committee attended a workshop on the 11 instruments at the Convention Centre two weeks ago, they raised the issue of Malagwane having a right turn at Baha’i yet on standards of a freeway that is not allowed. 

intersection

Freeway legislation in many countries states that a driver intending to turn left in an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to any oncoming vehicle. However, it is a different story with Malagwane as the intersection at Baha’i has a right turn which could be hazardous for motorists because there are high chances of an accident as the oncoming cars are usually on high speed given that the right turn is made on the fast lane. 

During the workshop, an official from the Ministry of Public Works and Transport admitted that the right turn at Malagwane was not what the standard of freeway required and the Charter seeks to correct such errors and avoid possible accidents.  

After motivating for the ratifying of the international instruments by the minister, the Speaker then posed the question to the legislators if they saw it fit to ratify all the instruments and the House nodded in agreement and all instruments were ratified. 

After ratifying the international instruments, the Speaker then informed the legislators that the House was done with the business of the day, much to the astonishment of the legislators, especially those that came from faraway places. Minister of Housing and Urban Development Prince Simelane was requested by the Speaker to move that the House be adjourned and he lightened up the legislators with a speech that had them in stitches. 

“Nelidelefudi naselicedzile kusebenta liyakhweshiswa etiko”, he said.

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