Mbabane: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has instructed the Central Transport Administration (CTA) General Transport Manager (GTM), Washington Khumalo to ensure the return of the government car which was used by former Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Commissioner Advocate, Thanda Mngwengwe. Mngwengwe left for his country, South Africa, with the car, a Mercedes Benz, in February 2018 after his contract was not renewed.
PAC Chairman, Matsanjeni MP, Phila Buthelezi issued that the car belonged to the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini and should have been kept in the country after Mngwengwe failed to return to office.
The PAC also learnt that the car had two number plates, an Eswatini and South African one, and Mngwengwe would use either depending on where he was at the time. Buthelezi wanted to know from the CTA GTM why he had not held back the car in the first place and the GTM said he needed first to see the employment papers of the former commissioner advocate, which he could not access at the time, adding that as per instruction of the accounts committee he would go to the Republic of South Africa and brought the car back but that he needed the company of the ACC and the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS).
Problems
Worthy of note is that the CTA is riddled with problems centered on over expenditure, which includes the spending of E102 000 to repaint a car, which was used to Edgar Hillary, all because the former Justice Minister did not like its previous colour.
The Auditor General, Timothy Matsebula, brought the matter before the PAC in his Audit Compliance Report yesterday, which was responded to by the controlling officer, the Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Lorraine Hlophe.
The CTA General Transport Manager told the PAC that in fact two vehicles, BMW X5s, had been bought by the ministry and belonged to Attorney General, Sifiso Khumalo, and Hillary. Explaining further he said the original colours of the vehicles were metallic silver grey but that Hillary didn’t like his and hence it was repainted to black, matching those allocated to other ministers.
The PAC learnt that, however, the attorney general was happy with the metallic silver grey colour, which was why his was not repainted.
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