Mbabane – The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has defended the transfer of E1 million from the Mbabane Municipal Council to fund the Eswatini Urban Forum, insisting that the money was requested as a short-term loan and will be fully reimbursed.
The Ministry’s Principal Secretary, Dr Simon Zwane, said the transaction was a documented administrative arrangement to meet immediate logistical costs for hosting the forum, which is currently underway at the Ezulwini Palazzo International Convention Centre.
The clarification follows an online article alleging that the Mbabane Municipal Council Chief Executive Officer and her alleged boyfriend were plotting to steal approximately R1 million in ratepayers’ money and channel it to the forum.
In a press statement, the Ministry categorically rejected allegations of theft, misappropriation and improper conduct, describing the reports as false and misleading.
Dr Zwane said the Ministry, rather than the Minister personally, had formally requested the E1 million from the Council in writing as a short-term loan to cover the event’s immediate logistical requirements.
He maintained that the arrangement was not an unauthorised diversion of public funds, but an intergovernmental administrative transaction supported by official correspondence.
According to the Ministry, the written request stipulated that the money would be reimbursed in full, with the arrangement intended to ensure that Mbabane ratepayers did not suffer any financial loss.
The Ministry further stated that the funds were released only after the Council had received an official written request. It denied that there had been any telephone conversation between the Minister and the Council’s Chief Executive Officer regarding the transaction.
Dr Zwane said the documentation demonstrated that the Ministry had followed the appropriate administrative process before the funds were released.
The Ministry also condemned the portrayal of the transaction as a criminal act, rejecting what it described as a sensationalist and defamatory narrative.
It assured Mbabane residents and ratepayers that the E1 million would be returned in accordance with the official correspondence.
However, the Ministry’s assurance that the money will be reimbursed places the repayment commitment at the centre of the matter, with the actual reimbursement remaining a key point for ratepayers to monitor.
The Eswatini Urban Forum is being hosted at the Ezulwini Palazzo International Convention Centre, with the Ministry saying the loan was arranged to meet immediate logistical needs associated with the event.
Dr Zwane reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the prudent use of public funds.
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