MBABANE:Clifford Mamba,the Principal Secretary(PS)in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is living like a billionaire,he owns watches worth more than R2million.
Eswatini has about 70% of the population living below the poverty line.
Public funds are looted by Mswati and those close to him,like Clifford Mamba,the absolute Monarch also owns watches worth millions.
Pictures in possession of this Swaziland News suggest that among the watches owned by the PS,is a Rolex that cost over three hundred and seventy thousand Rands (R370,000.00).
The Principal Secretary)PS)who reached the retirement age on Friday also owns a variety of belts,including a Gucci that costs over twenty-one thousand Rands (R21,000.00) each.
It has been disclosed that the PS allegedly accumulated his wealth through corrupt means,by engaging in questionable land deals within the municipalities.
A questionnaire was sent to the Principal Secretary, however, he had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
It has been disclosed that for the past years, the Principal Secretary(PS)has been ‘playing the game of power’, by strategically positioning himself in order to influence decisions involving land deals within the municipalities.
As a result, the politically connected PS has been successful in ‘stealing’ land worth millions of Rand from struggling poor citizens and sell it to the rich and powerful,some of the citizens who allegedly lost their land are orphans and widows who were struggling to pay rates.
It has been disclosed that the PS recently took advantage of Urban Development Minister Prince Simelane's ignorance by misleading him into signing the appointments of individuals to various Boards within the Ministry, he intentionally included his name in the list of appointees.
Minister Prince Simelane declared shortly after his appointment that he was ignorant with regards to the administration of the Ministry of Urban Development and would rely on the PS and other officials for advice and guidance.
Legal Notice 332 of 2022 suggests that Clifford Mamba prepared and submitted the names of the Town Planning Board to the Minister; his name was included as the Chairperson of the Board.
Worth noting, this is the Board that is responsible for facilitating urban development and research, it reports to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and, administratively,to the office of the Principal Secretary (PS); hence, the appointment ‘generated’ a clear conflict of interest.
The Town Planning Board, working with the Human Settlement Authority, of which PS Clifford Mamba is also a member, deals with issues of ‘incorporating’ Swazi Nation Land (SNL) into towns, and those affected are normally compensated, while some are allegedly ‘robbed’ of their land through hiked rates bills by a corrupt municipality syndicate allegedly linked to the PS.
Again, in terms of Legal Notice No. 476 of 2022, the PS allegedly ‘appointed himself’ as Chairman of the Hlane Town Board; other separate documents allege that he is the Chairman or Mayor at Vuvulane and Mhobodleni, among other towns.
It is alleged that the PS, who reached his retirement age last Friday, has been sharing part of the monies accumulated through corrupt means with Mswati, and as a result, he allegedly told some officials within the Ministry that the King has offered him a new contract of employment.
But King’s Spokesperson Percy Simelane, when asked by this Swaziland News on Sunday to clarify if the King has renewed the contract of PS Clifford Mamba or not,said he was not sure.
“I wouldn't be sure the paperwork for continuity reinstatement is done at the Civil Service Commission. Royal commands of this nature are communicated to the Chairman of the Civil Service Commission.You will recall that employment files are confidential; kindly try the CSC Chairman," said the King’s Spokesperson.
Efforts to reach Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chairman Simanga Mamba proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.
Reached for comments earlier, human rights lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi said the allegations against the PS were serious and suggested that he be suspended pending an investigation.
“What we need to understand here is that, once you are appointed as Principal Secretary, Minister, or Under Secretary for that matter, your involvement in any public interests is limited, and in the event an interest arises,you must declare it with the Human Rights and Public Administration Commission. The question that we need to ask ourselves with this particular PS is, did he declare these interests? The conflict here is glaring because, as the Principal Secretary, you are the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Department, Ministers come and go. So if there are any allegations of corruption against a Principal Secretary (PS), it’s a serious offence, it must be investigated, and an intervention must be made. In the process of the investigation, the Minister must suspend the Principal Secretary (PS) because the conflict of interest is clear,”said the human rights lawyer.
PS Clifford Mamba.