By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:Neal Rijikernberg, the Minister of Finance allegedly paid twenty-thousand Rands(R20,000.00) at PriceRite Cash and Carry for outgoing Times Weekend editor and aspiring Mbabane East Member of Parliament(MP) Welcome Dlamini.

An independent investigation conducted by this Swaziland News uncovered that, the payment was made, a few days before the Primary Elections, PriceRite Cash and Carry is a popular retail company in Manzini that sells groceries.

Information in our possession further suggests that, after Rijikernberg paid the retail company through a bank electronic transfer, aspiring Mbabane East MP Welcome Dlamini then arrived to collect groceries but, he requested to collect items worth ten-thousand Rands(R10,000.00) and took the balance to entertain his followers at the Mbabane East Constituency.

The groceries were also distributed to the people of Mbabane East who were previously seen lifting Dlamini up shortly after he accepted a nomination, based on his popularity, the journalist is highly expected to become an MP in the coming two(2) weeks.

When asked by this Swaziland News to clarify the payment, Finance Minister Neal Rijikernberg said, the support did not come from him in his personal capacity, but his company Montigny might have assessed and approved a social responsibility application for food support.

“I do not support personally, but Montigny does provide food relief and poverty alleviation to a number of constituencies based on applications from those constituencies, which are assessed.Please check with them”, said the Finance Minister.

Sihle Mavuso is the Spokesperson of Montigny Investments, a forestry company owned by the Finance Minister, when asked to clarify the payment, he he told this publication on Saturday that, the Minister does not support individuals but Constituencies based on applications.

“The Minister does not support individuals.But, occasionally Montigny does provide food relief and poverty alleviation to a number of constituencies based on applications from those constituencies, which are assessed, which is part of the companies CSR programme”, said the Montigny Investments Spokesperson.

Responding to this Swaziland News on Saturday morning, when asked to clarify why the Finance Minister paid the money on his behalf and if Rijikernberg was owing him, Welcome Dlamini, the aspiring Mbabane East MP said,sponsorships for his election campaign were handled by an independent Committee.

“It’s not like the Minister is owing me, I have a campaign Committee that communicates with sponsors so, I don’t know who they might have approached”, said the aspiring Mbabane East MP.