BE CEO: I HAVE NO AMBITIONS OF BEING PM

MBABANE – Following strong criticism received from various sectors, Business Eswatini Chief Executive Officer Nathi Dlamini has come out to say that he has no political ambitions or even being prime minister.

This assertion comes after the BE CEO was quoted by one weekend publication applauding the recently announced electricity hike. He was speaking on behalf of the entity which is the country’s leading private sector business organisation. He was also quoted by our sister publication, the Times SUNDAY, saying employees should be paid for the hours they had worked.

Dlamini said if people were paid for doing absolutely nothing except to twiddle their thumbs, such a situation was called bad fiscal stewardship.

His sentiments were not well-received, especially by social media users and some Members of Parliament (MPs), who questioned what his intentions were and wondered if he was pushing a political agenda.

Some social media users even posted that perhaps he was campaigning to be the next prime minister.

Currently, the post of PM is vacant following the demise of PM Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, who passed away on December 13, 2020 due to COVID-19-related complications.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Themba Masuku, is currently the Acting PM.

This reporter had also specifically asked him if he had any aspirations of being prime minister as per the suspicions of this critics.

Interviewed on Monday, Dlamini said he was aware of the backlash which had come after his statements on the electricity hike and pay for civil servants. However, he strongly stated that he was not in any way interested in politics.

“I have never, even in my wildest imagination or dreams, aspired to a political post anywhere and at any level. As a businessman, and may God forbid, I would be totally hopeless and useless to everybody and utterly incompetent to the point of embarrassing my profession and myself in the process. Politics is not my game,” Dlamini said. He said his calling for the season was where he currently was, at Business Eswatini.

“However, I am called to help businesspeople succeed in their calling for the prosperity of the country which I love and call home,” he stated.

Dlamini was quoted by a weekend publication saying that businesses were happy with the proposed electricity hike.The CEO, according to the newspaper, stated that the hike was expected to relieve businesses from the burden of subsidising domestic users.

Even though he then issued a statement clarifying what he meant and emphasised that he did not intend to cause any harm, the criticism has not stopped.

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