By Colani Khulekani Maseko.

MBABANE: Zweli Jele,the senior lawyer at Robison Bertram lawfirm wrote to editor Zweli Martin Dlamini on Thursday evening, demanding that the payslip for his client Sincendile Dlamini be removed from Swaziland News online platforms in terms of privacy laws.

This comes after this publication exposed how the suspended Chief Procurement Officer “is still benefiting from the over R500million COVID-19 donations”, despite the fact that, COVID-19 is no-longer a pandemic".

As per the report of the Auditor General(AG) Timothy Matsebula, about R180million was unaccounted for by Prime Minister(PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini, the then Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of the National Disaster Management Agency(NDMA),the PM was working with other stakeholders including the Ministry of Health in particular, Sincedile Dlamini, the Chief Procurement Officer.

“Under the rubric of this article you caused to be published our clients confidential remuneration details without her consent and in violation of her privacy rights that are protected under the Constitution.The publication of such information is unlawful and constitutes an infringement of a citizen’s privacy,” reads the formal demand sent to the editor by the Robison Betram lawyers.

The lawyers further demanded that,the editor must immediately remove the payslip from this publication’s social media pages failing which, legal action shall be taken against this publication.

“Our instructions are to demand as we hereby do that you cause to be removed from your social media page - online publication our client’s payslip with immediate effect failing which we hold instructions to take appropriate action”, said the senior lawyer.

But editor Zweli Martin Dlamini, when responding to the lawyer stated that, the payslip won’t be removed from this publication online platforms as the matter was of vital public interest.

“We wish to bring to your attention that,your client is a public figure and/or a civil servant whose salary is funded by public funds.Therefore her right to privacy is limited and could be superseded by the public interest principle particularly on issues of accountability of public funds.As you might be aware, your client was entrusted with the procurement administration in the Ministry of Health, she was subsequently suspended amid an investigation into the health crisis and/or disappearance of public funds that resulted into the shortage of drugs in public hospitals”, said the editor.

The editor further told the lawyer that, the disappearance of millions of public funds within the Ministry of Health and subsequent suspension of  Sincendile Dlamini suggests that, even her bank transactions are of public interest.

“Kindly be informed that,the disappearance of the millions of public funds, shortage of drugs in public hospitals and subsequent suspension of your client Sincendile Dlamini, the Chief Procurement Officer in the Ministry of Health suggests that, her payslip including bank transactions are of vital public interest.In light of the aforementioned,as the editor of the Swaziland News,I regret to inform you that, your client payslip won’t be removed in our online platforms,however, your client is free to respond to our  questionnaire and explain how she benefited from the COVID-19 public funds and the circumstances surrounding the questionable allowance.Please note that,this response is from the editor, should a need arise for you to engage with our lawyers on behalf of your client,kindly indicate via this email; editor@swazilandnews.co.za so we can connect you with our legal team”, reads the response sent by the editor to Chief Procurement Officer Sincendile Dlamini’s lawyers.