Savannah explains PS’s trip with PM to Geneva

Minister of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Savannah Maziya says Principal Secretary (PS) Andreas Dlamini did not travel to Geneva as her replacement.

She said the PS was formally assigned as a technical adviser to Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini during a separate international engagement on artificial intelligence (AI).

The clarification follows questions raised by Members of Parliament (MPs) during the debate on the Ministry of ICT’s first-quarter performance report, amid allegations of a strained working relationship between the minister and her PS and claims that the PS had taken over some of the minister’s responsibilities.

During the debate, Mbabane East MP Welcome Dlamini questioned the nature of the working relationship between the minister and the PS, citing reports that relations between the two were strained.

He also raised concerns over allegations that the PS had usurped the minister’s powers by representing her during the international assignment and at Vulamasango.

However, the minister dismissed the claims, stating that the PS had never travelled in place of the minister to perform ministerial duties.

According to the minister’s written response, the controversy arose after two separate international forums were scheduled to take place concurrently in Geneva.

Maziya said she had received an invitation to attend the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation had simultaneously received an invitation for the Head of State to attend the inaugural United Nations Global Dialogue on the Governance of Artificial Intelligence.

The minister said the Head of State subsequently commanded the prime minister to lead the delegation to the AI dialogue.

She said the Prime Minister’s Office then requested technical talking points from the Ministry of ICT, given the specialised nature of the discussions on AI governance.

The ministry explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the PMO formally designated the PS to join the prime minister’s delegation strictly in the capacity of a technical adviser.

“The PS travelled to fulfil a technical advisory role for the Head of State’s delegation at a different event, not to the event to which the minister had been invited.

“He, therefore, did not travel as a replacement for the minister,” the minister stated.

The ministry further explained that when Maziya later indicated her intention to attend the WSIS conference, a civil service circular prohibiting a minister and PS from travelling simultaneously came into effect.

“Because the PS had already been formally incorporated into the Head of State’s delegation through the Prime Minister’s Office, the minister’s travel preparations could not proceed,” the response reads.

The ministry said it could not confirm whether the prime minister had been aware of Maziya’s intention to attend the WSIS conference because no formal travel minute had been processed or submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Mayiwane MP Sicelo Dlamini had also sought clarity on the working relationship between Maziya and the PS, further stating that the latter should not be used by anyone to fight their battles.

In response, the ministry firmly rejected allegations that the PS was being influenced or used by external parties to work against the minister.

It maintained that the PS remained confined to executing his statutory responsibilities, overseeing administrative operations and implementing ministerial policies in accordance with civil service regulations.

Ngudzeni MP Charles Ndlovu, on the other hand, questioned whether disciplinary action had been taken against the PS over allegations that he had submitted a Cabinet paper without the minister’s authority.

The ministry denied that the PS had ever drafted or submitted a Cabinet paper without Maziya’s knowledge.

The ministry said the allegation appeared to stem from a misunderstanding surrounding the handling of a SCOPE paper on the recruitment of the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP) chief executive officer.

According to the ministry, the matter was handled through established administrative channels following directives from the Secretary to Cabinet, who is the PS’s direct supervisor.

The Secretary to Cabinet reportedly informed the ministry that Cabinet had held extensive discussions on the recruitment process and conveyed a directive from the prime minister for the paper to be finalised and submitted for the upcoming Cabinet meeting.

The ministry said Secretary to Cabinet Victor Nxumalo had indicated that he had already briefed Maziya.

The PS subsequently sought confirmation from the minister, who acknowledged that the matter had been discussed and said she was awaiting further communication from the Secretary to Cabinet. The ministry said no objection was raised at that stage.

Later that day, the Secretary to Cabinet is said to have issued a final instruction for the paper to be uploaded for the following day’s Cabinet sitting.

The ministry maintained that the PS acted in compliance with the directive and within established civil service procedures, rather than independently bypassing the minister.