/ 29 January 2007

Swaziland cracks down on corruption

Under severe international and domestic pressure, Swazi Prime Minister Themba Dlamini recentlymoved swiftly to crack down on rampant corruption in Swaziland. Police arrested eight people, including senior government officials in the ministry of finance and directors of private companies involved in the plundering of R50-million that the state had set aside for capacity building.

Two Cabinet ministers, minister of finance Majozi Sithole and Minister of Enterprise and Employment Lutfo Dlamini, were spared after they were cleared by a commission of inquiry into the use of the R50-million. According to the commission’s report, an accounts officer in the ministry of finance received bribes amounting to R1,13-million.

In a country where corruption has become ”unofficially official”, government was under extreme pressure to take action.

Accepting the commission’s report, the premier conceded that government was under pressure to take action against anyone found to have abused public funds. ”I am aware that the international community and the Swazi nation is closely watching us and the action we are going to take on the R50-million. Government will take the necessary action against those found on the wrong side of the law,” he said.

He added that, should the government fail to take action against the culprits, it was likely to suffer irreparable harm. Widely perceived as someone who is all talk and no action, Dlamini has been accused of sweeping the reports of several other commissions exposing corruption in senior government offices under the carpet.

The arrests were made four days after the commission presented its report to the prime minister. A few of the suspects were in South Africa on ”business” when the arrests began last Saturday. They returned and handed themselves over to the police.

The arrests are the first since the Prevention of Corruption Act came into force in July last year. The Attorney General’s office is expected to make applications in court to seize assets obtained through corrupt means.

Well-placed sources said government has been struggling to secure donor funding as countries and international organisations cited Swaziland’s poor track record in dealing with corruption.