By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE: Princess Sikhanyiso, the Minister of Information, Communication and Technology(ICT) has resumed her Cabinet duties after almost two years since she went on a maternity leave.

This comes after Hosea Member of Parliament(MP) Mduduzi ‘Bacede’ Mabuza halted Parliament business for the ICT Ministry this week questioning why the Princess whose salary was paid with taxpayers money went on maternity leave for more than three months in violation of the Constitution.

The return of the Minister comes after this Swaziland News reported widely about the issues surrounding the Princess who boycotted her Cabinet duties while getting paid on public coffers, her return was subsequently confirmed to the Times  by Principal Secretary in the Ministry of ICT Maxwell Masuku.

On Wednesday, this publication reported  on how Hosea MP questioned the absence of the Princess in Parliament, the Legislator said Constitutionally, all citizens in the country must enjoy a three months maternity leave adding that the  absence of Princess Sikhanyiso from her Cabinet duties was now in violation of the Supreme Law.

As a result, the MP who cited Section 72 of the Constitution further mentioned that Commerce Minister Mancoba Khumalo who has been the acting Minister of Information, Communication and Technology(ICT) was also violating the Constitution that states clearly that no Minister shall act for more than six(6) months.

“Section 72 of the Constitution does not allow these proceedings to continue Chairman, because the presence of this Minister(Mancoba Khumalo) on acting basis violates the Constitution. You will remember that Section 72 of the Constitution does not allow this Minister to stand before you, the law states clearly that any Cabinet Minister cannot be allowed to be absent from duty for more than six months. We know that the Minister for Commerce has been acting without an instrument and the instrument that he later gave us expired in January 2021, so we cannot continue working with this Ministry because currently, we don’t have a Minister for ICT” he said.

The Hosea MP said all citizens in the country must be treated equally adding that according to the law, a maternity leave should be three months.

“All citizens in the country must be treated equally and in accordance with the law particularly those who are paid with taxpayers money”, said the MP