Two days after Mbabane East Member of Parliament (MP) Welcome Dlamini submitted that some people call Prime Minister Russell Dlamini the head of government, the Prime Minister’s Office has responded.
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In written responses tabled in the House of Assembly, the PM’s office stated that, “the honourable prime minister has never claimed to be head of anything.”
MP Clarifies Constitutional Role
On Tuesday, during the Prime Minister’s Office second quarter performance debate in the House of Assembly, MP Welcome Dlamini said there was a misconception that the prime minister was the head of government.
He explained that the Constitution provides that the prime minister is chairperson of Cabinet and leader of government business in Parliament, and not the head of government.
“The head of government is His Majesty King Mswati III,” said Dlamini.
Official Response from PM’s Office
In a written response tabled by the Prime Minister’s Office Portfolio Committee Chairperson Nathi Hlophe on Wednesday, the comment was said to be “duly noted” and it was reiterated that the prime minister had never claimed to be head of anything.
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During the same debate, the Mbabane East MP also queried the absence of the prime minister’s travel expenses in his office’s performance report.
PM’s Travel Expenses Questioned
Dlamini said that while the report detailed travel expenses for ministers, there was no mention of the prime minister’s own travel costs.
“Why is there no mention of the prime minister’s travel expenses in the report?” he asked.
In response, the PM’s office said the report only covered requests submitted via the Policy and Programme Coordination Unit (PPCU).
“Some requests, including Royal errands, Parliament travel and the prime minister’s travel, are not subject for review by PPCU, hence the non-reporting,” the statement clarified.
Call for Financial Independence of Government Arms
The MP further questioned whether the Prime Minister thought it was time to grant financial independence to other arms of government.
He argued that the non-separation of powers compromised MPs who might fear that their travel requests would not be approved by the Executive.
Dlamini cited Section 144 of the Constitution, which provides that all arms of government — the Executive, Legislature, and Judiciary — should be independent of one another.
“Therefore, Parliament and the Judiciary should be able to control their own expenditures,” he said.
PM’s Office Responds on Separation of Powers
The Prime Minister’s Office clarified that independence, as stated in the Constitution, should not be understood to mean lack of accountability in the overall government structure.
“No one can do away with government being the unifier and coordinator of all arms. However, the Executive will not dictate how each arm functions or should carry out their job. Each arm should have autonomy in management of resources allocated to them,” the statement said.
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