AFTER Mafutseni Member of Parliament (MP) Sabelo Mtetwa revealed that a minister is threatening him, his colleague from Mayiwane Sicelo Dlamini has also weighed in on the issue.
He alleged that even senior government officials are doing the same.
Dlamini in an interview following the revelation by Mtetwa, claimed that there are some ministers who threaten MPs, as he has also fallen victim before.
Even though he did not reveal the names, he claimed that some Cabinet ministers threatened them after debating certain issues by saying there would not be any development in their constituencies.
He further alleged that some ministers went as far as using Royalty, saying it was against them speaking about matters they sometimes raised in Parliament.
“Some even go to the extent of saying that the electorate will be deprived of services if we continue talking the way we do. At some stage they tell you that you are too young to challenge them, so I can confirm that we receive threats from ministers and that what the Mafutseni MP said is spot on,” he said. He added that what Mtetwa said was just the tip of the iceberg, among part of the things happening inside the House of Assembly.
Dlamini said personally, he has never reported the threats to the office of the speaker because he knows his rights and the responsibility he has in Parliament. Dlamini added that no one could stop him from executing his duties as a legislator. He said he took the threats lightly, which is why he was able to continue with his debates, as not all ministers were behind the threats.
He added that some ministers were dedicated to doing their work, and if encouraged to act contrary to service delivery, they did not listen but delivered without being influenced.
“Things are bad, but I fight for myself. This thing is wrong and should not be done, as the threats are also being made by senior government officials. After debating in Parliament, things are sometimes stopped in the constituency because you asked a question that did not sit well with a minister,” he said.
He said this also happened with government officials, but not as much as with the ministers. He said since they were now near the end of their term in office, he feared that the threats would be made more frequently just to intimidate the MPs.
When addressing the issue of threats during the sitting where Mtetwa expressed his frustration at the threats he allegedly received from a certain minister who was calling him a ‘boy’, House of Assembly Speaker Jabulani Mabuza said he hoped that the minister was just playing politics.
He said they should not be threatening each other as parliamentarians, as such behaviour deterred others from debating going forward. He said in the chamber they were all honourable members and were protected by the Privileges Act for statements they make. Mabuza, however, noted that this did not mean that they could not call others to order if they had not spoken well. He said threatening each other was not right, stating that there was nowhere in the law where MPs had to be threatened for their debates. He said all MPs should feel comfortable to debate and report the ministers who were threatening them to his office so that they could be contacted and asked to convey an apology. He said MPs should debate freely as they were protected by the country’s laws. “My office is for the ministers and MPs and everyone who is aggrieved can visit it to express their grievance,” he said.
