The Swaziland House of Assembly
Speaker Themba Msibi has been told to resign by a Parliamentary Select Committee.
The five-member committee
found him guilty of a series of offences, including nepotism and favouritism in
the hiring of parliamentary staff;
plotting the
ousting/removal of the Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini from the
Premiership position;
abusing the name of the
monarchy for his own selfish ends;
promoting anarchy and
running parliament like a personal fiefdom, and
engaging in corrupt
practices not being trustworthy and being fraudulent.
The Select Committee
recommended he resign within seven days of the adoption of its report.
Parliament has yet to discuss the report.
Following the publication
of details contained in the Select Committee report, Msibi told
local media in Swaziland that he
had no intention of resigning.
The Observer on Sunday, a newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III
and seen as the mouthpiece of Swazi Royalty, published the findings
of the Select Committee report
on Sunday (18 October 2015). It is reproduced below.
Select Committee findings
1. The Speaker
(Honourable Themba Msibi) indeed interferes with the hiring and promotion of
staff members in parliament. The Speaker’s actions are tantamount to nepotism
and favouritism, abuse of authority, corruption and fraud.
2. The Honourable Speaker
Themba Msibi (MP) did misrepresent the CPA [Commonwealth Parliamentary Association] Swaziland branch in the CPA Africa
branch; when he fraudulently nominated himself as CPA Southern Africa Regional
Representative much against the Swaziland CPA Constitution. The Speaker Themba
Msibi fraudulently selected himself to become Regional Representative without
consent of the Executive Committee, CPA Swaziland branch.
3. That the Honourable
Speaker did expel the Joint House Committee; directly or constructively. The
Speaker Honourable Themba Msibi acted improperly and violated the privileges of
House by acting ultra vires.
4. The Speaker plotted
the ousting/removal of the Right Honourable Prime Minister Sibusiso
Dlamini from the Premiership position. The presiding officers abuse the name of
the monarchy for their own selfish ends. They were a deadly combination that
sought to destabilise the government as ‘messengers’ of royalty.
5. The Speaker has no
admiration, respect, regard and reverence for members of parliament; as he took
two secretaries, including his favoured Secretary 1, for a trip to Korea.
6. That the parliamentary
organogram and remuneration need review; particularly the Hansard Department.
The entire staffing system in parliament has been grossly corrupted.
7. The presiding officers
interfere and jeopardise the work of the clerk to parliament. Unfortunately,
the clerk gets intimidated and succumbs to their whims.
8. The Speaker did hire
and promote parliamentary staff, yet there is no single piece of regulation or
policy that assigns that responsibility to his office.
9. The Speaker not only
practices nepotism in parliament, but also promotes anarchy. The Speaker is
running parliament like a personal fiefdom, without any regard for the
government’s general orders which govern the parliament’s staff.
10. The Honourable
Speaker did unscrupulously try to siphon the select committee’s investigation
information from the Technician working with the select committee, as evidenced
by the police statement attached.
11. The Speaker
Honourable Themba Msibi fails to control his temper, as per evidence of
Honourable Sitezi Dlamini, Library1, Library 2, assistant clerk 4 and others.
12. The Honourable
Speaker did engage in corrupt practices, which include his failure to recuse
himself or at least declare interest to the Parliamentary Service Board
meetings when accounts 1, cleaner 1, canteen 1were interviewed.
13. The Speaker is not
trustworthy and is fraudulent.
14. The Speaker treats
parliament as an extension of his own personal property.
15. The Speaker does have
dubious, shady, and adulterous relationships with parliamentary female staff
members. It is unfortunate that about half of those ladies associated with the
Speaker’s ‘shenanigans’ are married.
16. The Speaker usurped
the responsibility of procurement from the office of the clerk and made it his
own business, obviously for unclean and unprofessional reasons.
17. The Honourable
Speaker has no respect for parliament, as he flatly refused to appear before
the select Committee while on the other end continued to tarnish the image of
parliament by making headlines in the media, responding to the allegations he
was being investigated for.
18. That in parliament,
there are serious allegations of ‘sex for jobs’.
19. That the Honourable
Speaker has uncontrollable weakness for women.
Recommendations
1. The presiding officers
‘interference in purely administrative matters should be condemned in the
strongest terms since it is tantamount to flagrant abuse of authority.
Therefore a review of all the illegal appointments made should be undertaken by
the Management Services Department and a way forward mapped out.
2. Parliament should
expedite the enactment of the Parliamentary Service Board Bill, so that a
properly constituted PSB can be established.
3. The whole staffing
system needs a thorough review that will address improved working conditions,
including remuneration, promotion etc.
4. The hiring of
parliamentary staff should be based on the principle of meritocracy, to avoid
the ‘sex for jobs’ scenario.
5. The Joint House
Committee must resume its duties forthwith, as it was illegally dissolved by
the presiding officers. Those responsible for its dissolution should not be
allowed to interfere in its operation ever again.
6. The Honourable Speaker
must be surcharged by Treasury for
a) The money unduly paid
to him in ‘refund’ for a book he bought in London, which remains unaccounted
for;
b) Defrauding government
by filing for full per diem on a fully sponsored trip to South Korea; and this
must also include all those who formed part of his delegation;
c) The computers that he
unilaterally purchased.
7. Fraud, corrupt
practices, theft and abuse of authority are covered in the Prevention of
Corruption Act, 2006. It is expected therefore that the Anti-Corruption
Commission will execute its mandate as provided in law; without fear or favour.
It is quite incontestable, if not indubitable, that the findings portray the
administrative atmosphere in parliament as so polarised and corrupted that the
long arm of the law has to intervene.
8. The House business
should continue with or without the Speaker. Parliamentary Committees should
not compromise the integrity of Parliament by remaining indifferent even when
the institution is being eroded. No individual has the right to stall
parliamentary business, for this is a sacred institution.
9. It is crystal clear,
and one need not be a rocket scientist to tell that the current Speaker
Honourable Themba Msibi is not fit to hold the office of the Speaker; and
cannot be rehabilitated.
In light of the preceding
revelations, which include acts of corruption, fraud, misrepresentation of
facts, illegal procurement, graphic sexual escapades, nepotism, favouritism,
abuse of power, bringing the name of the monarchy into disrepute; it is,
therefore, concluded that the Hon. Speaker, Honourable Themba Msibi must
sacrifice the seals of his office.
The Honourable Speaker
must, within seven (7) days from the adoption of this report, do the honourable
thing and resign as Speaker of the House of Assembly; failing which a vote of
no confidence be passed on him in terms of Section 102(7)(b) of the
Constitution of the Kingdom of Swaziland.
See also
SWAZI
HOUSE SPEAKER SUSPENDED
‘KING’S
MAN’ STANDS FOR SPEAKER JOB
DISSIDENT
STANDS AS HOUSE SPEAKER