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GIVING CREDIT WHERE IT’S DUE

26/02/2023 07:43:00 Editor

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Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg is the man of the moment, after delivering a wholesome end-of-term Budget Speech on Friday.

The total package for the next financial year is E26.4 billion. In his preamble, the minister quoted from I Peter 5:10, which reads, “And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” This verse set the tone for what was to become one of the most promising budget speeches ever. The minister said the government had been working hard over the past few years to get the country’s economy onto a sustainable growth path.

“Even without the global COVID -19 pandemic, the unrest, floods and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, this seemed to be an impossible task. However, we have somehow managed to reach our goal notwithstanding all of these economic and social disruptions,” he explained. I will try to ignore the technical stuff and concentrate on the budget items that Gogo Simelane of KaNdzangu and new university graduate Themba of Mashobeni understand and appreciate. In a nutshell, these are jobs, youth empowerment, social grants, health, education, safety and the anticipated national dialogue.

We need to give credit where it is due, just as we always kick and scream when government falters. Who, in their right mind, would dispute that the budget for scholarships for college and university students is worth celebrating? Rijkenberg announced that the scholarship budget had been increased from E361 million by an additional E286million to be a total of E647million. This will increase the number of new scholarships from 2 500 to 3 500 scholarships this year.

It is also anticipated that more than 7 000 jobs will be created as the year progresses, with the new Sidvokodvo Industrial Estate creating 600 jobs during the initial phase of the construction and 4 000 jobs in the second year. Factory shells in places like Gamula, Ndzevane and Mantambe are also slated to create over 3 000 more jobs, mostly in the textile industry. In siSwati, it is said, “Kudliwa lokuncane, kudliwe lokukhulu" (half a loaf is better than nothing). I am saying this because it has become a norm for emaSwati to reject these jobs as being of low pay.

They demand that government brings investors who will hire graduates and pay them handsomely. We can only plead with the Labour Advisory Board (LAB) to review the wages paid to these workers. Moving on, Friday’s budget also allocated E3.96 billion to the Ministry of Education and Training, representing an increase of E430 million compared to 2022. Of significance is that, coupled with the scholarships of E647 million, the education slice represents 19 per cent of the total budget. This, as the minister stated, is in line with government’s commitment to have 15 per cent of the national budget being spent on education.

The Free Primary Education (FPE) grant per learner has also been increased and come April 1, 2023, revised fees will be implemented. This will raise the grant from E560 to about E612. It was a bit disappointing that the social grant paid to each elderly person has not been increased. It will now be paid monthly but still remains at E500. However, government will be spending E72.9 million more to cater for approximately 15 000 new people in the elderly and disabled category. With E2.76 billion given to the Ministry of Health, Minister Rijkenberg acknowledged that government still faced challenges in supplying medicine effectively and efficiently to Emaswati.

He tabled a report shedding light on the problems faced by the Ministry of Health on the supply of medical drugs. It is now up to Parliament to play its oversight role and ensure that recommendations are implemented to the letter. It was probably sweet music to the ears of many emaSwati as well, that the cost of internet data is likely to go down. The Finance Minister said government continued to review and reduce the cost of connectivity in the country. While there may be a few hundred jobs in the private sector, the civil service will also see new people being hired to fill certain vacancies that have been created during the hiring freeze.

The next financial year’s budget has E900 million more than last year to fill these vacancies. As far as the dialogue is concerned, Rijkenberg called for an immediate end to violence, saying an uninterrupted period of peace and stability would ensure that all Emaswati safely contribute to the dialogue process, for which E30 million has been allocated. The minister was candid enough to admit that even though the figures look promising, many emaSwati may not be seeing the benefits.“This budget begins to address this, by ensuring that all emaSwati receive better service delivery,” he promised.

Friday’s budget was delivered at a time when the country has experienced storms and floods, with many roads and other infrastructure damaged. The Finance Minister said there had been a massive investment in main road infrastructure but there remained major challenges in having a comprehensive maintenance programme and the improvement of feeder roads. At least E514 million will be spent on road rehabilitation, maintenance and upgrades. Now, emaSwati will wait for these promises to morph into action on the ground.

The minister says for the third year in a row, income tax rates will not be increased. However, the nation would appreciate lower electricity tariffs and other taxes that make daily life an economic nightmare. After all has been said and done, the good news announced by Rijkenberg will not mean much if law and order are as compromised as they have been in the last couple of years. It would also be impossible to see any real benefit of these budget allocations if corruption is not curbed. “Our Government is made up of emaSwati, family members, friends and colleagues,” said the minister. “It is made up of all of us, and when people steal from government, they steal from every one of us.” Very well said, Minister!