By Ntombi Mhlongo
If there is one thing that pains MPs as they get ready to leave office, it is the fact that in the five years in office, they have not been able to finalise the conversion of the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF) into a pension fund.
During a sitting to debate the budget of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the MPs took turns relaying frustration caused by the delay. It is worth mentioning that even the previous Parliament eventually left office without having passed the legislation that will ensure the conversion.
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Instead, a bill that they debated and were ready to pass was eventually withdrawn and they left office. Relaying their pain to the Minister of Labour, the MPs made it known that if their term of office comes to an end without the bill having been passed, they would have failed the nation.
The MPs requested the minister to come out in the open and tell them who exactly was delaying the process. They mentioned that if it was Cabinet, they were ready to take the matter further.
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This issue, if you remember, you requested some days to work on this bill. Those days are over and still, nothing has been done. We requested you go and tell Cabinet that the bill should come to Parliament so that we can debate and pass it. This is a very important bill that touches on many citizens of the country,” submitted Ndzingeni MP Lutfo Dlamini who is the chairperson of the ministry’s portfolio committee.
In response, the minister informed the MPs that all stakeholders, including the International Labour Organisation (ILO), were consulted and that all reports related to the bill had been sent to Cabinet for consideration.
He assured the MPs that in the next Cabinet sitting, the issue will be discussed and that by next week, there will be a way forward.
