By Zweli Martin Dlamini

In a country with highly qualified women,some of whom graduated over ten(10)years ago with no jobs, women like former Matsapha Town Board Chief Executive Officer(CEO) Gciniwe Fakudze hold more than one position.

Gciniwe Fakudze, a close ally of the Housing and Urban Development Principal Secretary Clifford Mamba was, on Monday, appointed by Minister Prince Simelane as a new member of the Town Planning Board. 

In her early twenties, Fakudze was already a Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the Matsapha Municipality, an industrial town that is the heart of the country’s economic activity.

It’s true that Gciniwe Fakudze is one of the highly qualified women in the country but the question is, where did she accumulate the experience that qualified her to become a CEO of the Matsapha industrial town when she was only around twenty-three(23)years?

Apart from being close to powerful people including King Mswati, what has Gciniwe Fakudze achieved in this country that qualifies her to be appointed into various Boards?

As a journalist, I am concerned because I have been monitoring her leadership style, in almost all of her previous jobs there are allegations of corruption.

She was once appointed a member of the World Cup Committee in 2010 by her friend, the then Sports Minister Hlobsile Ndlovu, another highly questionable public figure.

Mswati once created a Deputy Minister post just for Hlobsile Ndlovu and we are concerned when seeing the King using our country to elevate his alleged girlfriends who then benefits from our taxes.

The World Cup Committee was tasked with ensuring that tourists who visited South Africa to watch the 2010 World Cup would be encouraged to then visit the Kingdom of eSwatini.

But as journalists,we were sent from pillar to post when demanding answers on what that Commitee achieved except looting taxpayers money.

I am one of the eSwatini journalists who were sent to South Africa by Government in 2010 ahead of the World Cup and I can confirm that nothing was achieved by Gciniwe's Commitee.

Only Macford Sibandze, the then Tourism Minister who worked tirelessly and came-up with ideas that resulted to eSwatini being considered as a tourist destination even after the World Cup.

Gciniwe Fakudze was promoted by the media as a beautiful and stunning woman but nothing was being said about the monies she allegedly looted at the Matsapha Town Board.

A public office is not a beauty contest or a fashion parade.

Gciniwe Fakudze must subject herself to scrutiny by the media like all public figures, there’s nothing special about her especially if she accepts political appointments.

It’s very unfair for one woman to hold more than one position in the private sector and Government Boards just because she is connected to the authorities.

We want a society where women are elevated into leadership positions for the benefit of the country, not Mswati’s alleged girlfriends who are looting our monies and subsequently capture the media to portray them as beautiful and stunning.

Women must be appointed into positions of power based on competence.

Gciniwe Fakudze has been appointed to strengthen Clifford Mamba’s corrupt syndicate that goes around the Municipalities grabbing plots from the poor who can’t afford rates and then sell  them to the politically-connected, rich and powerful.

I am highly concerned about the Town Planning Board that was appointed by the Housing Minister Prince Simelane.

Upon seeing Gciniwe Fakudze’s name, I knew that the whole Board was actually appointed by Clifford Mamba, they will then go around the Municipalities evicting the poor from their land in the name of development and then sell the plots to the rich and powerful.

The media will do nothing except to take pictures of Gciniwe Fakudze and then tell the public how beautiful she is.

Fakudze left the Matsapha Town Board under a cloud of controversy and now, she will be in charge and do planning for the  various Municipalities.