SPEAKER NOT TO STAND AS MP

Times of Swaziland

6 August 2008

MBABANE – Prince Guduza, the out-going Speaker, declined the nomination to be a Member of Parliament under the Lobamba Constituency.

The prince was nominated by Nhlonipho Dlamini.

This was during the nomination exercise held at Lobamba (Mahhulumbeni) on Saturday afternoon.

Dlamini, in an interview yesterday, confirmed to have had his sights firmly set on the prince to be an ambassador of the constituency in the august House.

"Prince Guduza turned down the nomination on grounds that he was not ready for it,"

Dlamini, a son to the late Prince Ndabenhle, said. "The prince admitted to have been caught off-guard, hence he declined to enter for the parliamentary race."

Consulted

Dlamini said he nominated the retiring speaker after having consulted on the election laws regarding the princes and princesses.

Dlamini said there was no law in place that prevented princes and princesses from standing for the general elections.

"Prince Guduza assured me that he would stand for the next election sometime in 2013," Dlamini stated.

He said he was hoping that the prince would successfully succeed Marwick Khumalo in the lower chamber.

The quartet of Majah’odvwa Khumalo, Marazor Mavimbela, Reverend Ezrome Dlamini and Anthony Khephu Cindzi, were nominated to stand for the parliamentary race.

Efforts to get a comment from Prince Guduza drew a blank as his mobile phone was not available on the MTN network.

The prince, during the reign of erstwhile Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, once served as minister in two ministries – Economic Planning and Development and Home Affairs.

Link http://www.times.co.sz/News/408.html