PUPIL TAKES CHARGE OF GOVERNMENT HOUSE

MBABANE – Amid complaints of a shortage of houses for civil servants, a Form I pupil from Herefords High School is enjoying the liberty of utilising a government house at Mayiwane.

Five years ago, government constructed two houses for the department of Meteorology at Mayiwane but one of these houses is still un-occupied while the other is occupied by a son of a civil servant.

The pupil has stayed in the government house for the past nine months while the meteorology department is reportedly embroiled in disputes over transfers of officers to the Mayiwane weather station.

The father of the pupil is a civil servant and works as a weather overseer.
He had been deployed at Mayiwane to work as a technician but due to unsettled disputes he was, early this year, transferred to Matsapha. 
The Times Investigations Desk has established that Bheki Khumalo (the father) left Mayiwane in January this year and was transferred to King Mswati III International Airport (. The transfer, according to Khumalo was necessitated by the fact that he had spent almost three years doing nothing following alleged internal misunderstandings with his bosses. The misunderstandings emanated from a list of demands that he made in 2010 when he was transferred from the Mbabane weather station to Mayiwane. Among his demands, Khumalo wants to be provided with a car, machinery and a cleaner for the Mayiwane station.  

He, on Wednesday, confirmed that his son is currently occupying the government house at Mayiwane. He said he left the house in January 2014 after he was transferred from the station.

“Well, I moved out of the Mayiwane house in January. I am occupying another house at my new job. However, this house does not belong to government but to SWACAA – which is a government parastatal.

“Again, the house I am occupying is too small; hence I made an arrangement with my bosses to continue occupying the Mayiwane house because my son is still schooling there. I am aware that most would think I am occupying two government houses which is not true,” Khumalo said. Dudu Masina, Director of the Meteorology Department, declined to comment regarding the matter. She said she was currently engaging the Ministry of Public Service on it.

“I cannot discuss the matter with the media. I am currently consulting with the ministry of Public Service, hence I cannot pre-empt information regarding the officer you are asking me about,” Masina said.
The investigations desk on Tuesday, visited Mayiwane constituency, where the government house is located. Khumalo’s son was reportedly at school during the visit.

This publication, however, observed that there are two government houses at Mayiwane. One of the houses is currently un-occupied.
Magolide Ndwandwe, Indvuna of Mayiwane Constituency, said his office had filed a request with the meteorology department to allow the inkhundla to use one of the houses.

“Ever since the houses were constructed, we have observed that one has not been occupied.
It is for this reason that we decided to approached the department to seek permission to place an officer in the house.
“The inkhundla currently does not have a secretary because of issues of accommodation,” Ndwandwe said.

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