MBABANE – Minister for Information, Communication and Technology Savannah Maziya has handed over the responsibility of appointing a chief executive officer for the Royal Science and Technology Park to Prime Minister Russell Dlamini after admitting that her efforts to recruit a suitable candidate have been unsuccessful.
Speaking during a House of Assembly sitting yesterday, Minister Maziya said all avenues to fill the leadership vacuum had failed. “I have tried everything. I will now await the advice of the prime minister as to who to hire as RSTP CEO. I have failed,” she stated.
The Minister said her mandate was to modernize the country’s technology landscape and make RSTP a cornerstone for growth. She cited the launch of initiatives such as ‘Government in Your Hand,’ aimed at advancing digital services and equalizing technological progress for Swazis. Despite these initiatives, reports she had compiled on the RSTP’s operations and challenges did not see the light of day.
The House had debated a motion moved by Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo and seconded by Lubombo MP Futhi Ngcamphalala. The motion noted that the RSTP, as a State-owned enterprise, had become stagnant and paralysed by the absence of a substantive CEO. The motion also recognized the minister’s positive efforts under difficult conditions, particularly the ‘Government in Your Hand’ innovation, but warned that leaving the CEO post vacant was a setback to the development agenda in the digital economy and artificial intelligence sectors.
MP Khumalo criticized the prolonged vacancy and lack of direction at the parastatal, saying that government funds were being used to pay staff who operate without leadership. “You are playing with the lives of the people because that entity is being funded by government,” he said. Khumalo further noted that the previous reduction of the RSTP budget stemmed from the absence of a confirmed CEO and called for urgent action to restore proper management.
Lubombo MP Ngcamphalala described the RSTP as a sleeping giant with idle infrastructure and called for a clear turnaround strategy to ensure the facility fulfills its intended purpose. She urged Minister Maziya to exercise due diligence and provide a tangible response.
Typically, the CEO recruitment process involves a consultancy recommending a suitable candidate to the minister, who then approves the appointment. By deferring the decision to the Prime Minister, Minister Maziya has effectively paused the recruitment process, leaving the RSTP without substantive leadership for over a year and a half.
The House had previously directed Minister Maziya to table a programme of action outlining challenges, bottlenecks, and assistance required to restore RSTP functionality within 14 days.
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