Mbabane: The race to replace the late Mike Temple has come to an end with former Member of Parliament, Jimmy Hlophe, winning the senate seat after amassing 40 votes out of the 31 needed, automatically earning him the seat.
Hlophe was the Mahlangantsha MP in the 8th Parliament.
The race to replace the late Mike Temple had been left to Hlophe and Bongani Matsebula. Matsebula amassed 30 votes.
The race had been left to the two after brother to Hosea MP, Sifiso Mabuza, was disqualified after he failed the vetting process due to being implicated in an alleged forgery of a Tax Clearance certificate.
Hlophe, a professed Christian and pastor at the Methodist Church attributed his victory to God, saying he did nothing to garner the seat in the Senate House. The new senator said he had prayed before coming to Parliament and left everything to the Lord.
When the counting of the votes started it seemed Matsebula would come at the top but as it (counting) progressed he was overtaken by Hlophe, who sat quietly with his arms folded at the gallery’s section next to his son, Andile Hlophe.
Hlophe stated that he would first and foremost tackle the issue of the coronavirus, working alongside the government, his constituency as well as the general public. He promised to serve not only his people under the Mahlangantsha Constituency but the general public and royalty, all representing the Kingdom of God.
“Being a Christian and man of God I have become the salt of the earth and I will bring change in many aspects of the country’s administration,” said Hlophe, adding that he believed in integrity and credibility while serving the nation in Parliament.
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