Lobamba–The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has called for a fresh audit into the E270 million Eswatini Water Supply and Sanitation Project after raising concerns over cost overruns, repeated delays.
The project, which covers Hhohho, Lubombo, Shiselweni and the Manzini region, came under intense scrutiny during PAC hearings after the Auditor General Ashmond Ngwenya flagged inappropriate expenditure on capital projects.
According to the Auditor General’s findings, actual expenditure exceeded the amount that had been appropriated and released for the project. The AG further recommended that the ministry produce monthly management reports to strengthen oversight and prevent similar occurrences.
Responding to the committee, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources amd Energy Lindiwe Mbingo said the projects had been appropriated during the 2023/24 financial year and captured on the government financial system. However, government cash flow constraints resulted in suppliers not being paid on time, with some payments spilling into the following financial year.
“The projects were appropriated in 2023/24 and were posted on the government system. However, there were challenges with government’s cash flow, meaning some suppliers were not paid, and this rolled over into the following financial year, resulting in these problems,” the PS explained.
The PS also attributed some of the delays to implementation challenges affecting projects supported by development partners, saying some partners had to finance certain activities themselves before recovering the funds later.
However, the explanation did little to satisfy members of the committee.
PAC Vice Chairperson Hon. Mazwi Zwane said the project had undergone numerous scope changes and remained incomplete despite its scheduled completion date having passed.
“The project keeps changing scope and never gets finished. As we speak, it is at a standstill,” Zwane said.
He urged the Auditor General to conduct a comprehensive audit of the project, arguing that there were numerous loopholes that required investigation.
“I request the Auditor General to start afresh and audit this project. It has many loopholes. If the Auditor General conducts due diligence, they will find that there are people who do not deserve to be there,” Zwane charged.
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