MAKE FINAL PUSH COUNT!

As Jim George once said; “It’s not how you start that’s important, but how you finish!” In the last mile of their term, which ends in about six months, it should not be much to ask of Cabinet to make a strong final push in order to leave office with some tangible results regarding the myriad of challenges on its table.

Initially, their script was all about arresting corruption, unemployment and a stagnant economy, but it changed completely. They were suddenly confronted by an unprecedented global COVID-19 pandemic that claimed 1 400 lives locally, including that of Prime Minister Mandvulo Dlamini and two ministers, and left a devastating trail of economic and social ramifications. Running parallel to this were youth protests over the death of a university student in a car accident that saw police officers fingered as suspects. Cabinet responded by setting up an inquest, which exonerated the officers, much to the chagrin of the family and accusers.

The dust had hardly settled when the Tinkhundla System was put to the test following a call by some parliamentarians to change the Constitution to allow the people to vote for a prime minister. This was followed by the delivery of petitions to all, but nine constituencies before the exercise was banned by Cabinet. This decision sparked an outrage, particularly among the youth.

To follow were the June 29 protests that left about 46 dead (as per the Human Rights Commission’s investigation findings), dozens of properties destroyed, and more than E174 million disbursed thus far from a E1 billion Reconstruction Fund to compensate the businesses. The arson attacks have not subsided but have escalated to killings that have taken the death toll to more than 66, instilling a sense of fear among a society that has become more polarised over what should be the preferred political future for this country. With voices of discontent rising, a reshuffle in the government PR department became a necessity, which saw Alpheous Nxumalo take up the hot seat. He has been playing his part, but the politically motivated violence continues.

Disrupted

In the midst of it all came the Russia-Ukraine war, which disrupted the food distribution chain and sent prices through the roof. It also caused panic among parents of students studying in Ukraine, and they were among the last to be evacuated. Cabinet has also had to endure an internal security challenge that saw the resignation of the country’s Army Commander, Jeffrey Tshabalala, which was subsequently followed by a defection of some security personnel to the progressive forces and an unprecedented march by junior police officers to the PM’s Office and residence in demand of a promised Phase II salary review.

And speaking of salary reviews, we saw Cabinet adopt a ‘divide and conquer’ approach to implementing the three per cent cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA) on civil servants who wanted much more, breaking away from the traditional collective bargaining table and raising the ire of the unions’ international colleagues for union bashing. This Cabinet also dared to venture into the untouchable cash cow that is the Central Transport Administration (CTA) and withdrew its trading account. The savings for the taxpayer are astronomical, but the workers are throwing their toys out the window over this decision, which they have challenged in court.

We’ve also witnessed one of the highest number of tertiary strikes as well as applications for public demonstrations by various organisations, but Cabinet banned street marches in an effort to curb the tide. Most recently, it has had to deal with the national shutdowns that have seen the road transportation network come to a standstill for two days at the whim of an unknown ‘commander’. Government put its own buses on the road, albeit very few, which prompted the Hhohho Kombi Association to put their vehicles back on the road on the second day. Tragically, one of the buses, driven by a police officer, was involved in an accident that claimed the life of a Swiss tourist, which had government in sixes and sevens trying to diffuse the noise around calls for accountability. The jury is still out on the fitness of the officer to drive the vehicle.

In the background were consistent drug shortages in health facilities that Cabinet had to deal with on a regular basis, resulting in a probe by the Auditor General’s Office that exposed loopholes in the drug distribution process. What a term! None could have been prepared for such a political rollercoaster ride. But it seems far from over. A much anticipated national dialogue awaits us, but a new scene has emerged on the judicial front. The Law Society of Swaziland (LSS) wants Chief Justice Bheki Maphalala removed from his position, citing numerous shortcomings in the execution of his duties.

The onus now lies on the Justice minister, who is constitutionally bound to constitute an ad hoc committee to investigate the complaints within two weeks or so. The choice is theirs to finish their term with a strong showing of having been up to the challenge, or to leave the Cabinet sink full of dirty dishes for others to clean up. As politicians would say, a week is a long time in politics – anything can change. Therefore, six months is more than enough time. The least we can ask of this team is for them to leave the country with a good measure of law and order. Clean the guns off our streets and stop these killings!

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