SUCCESSFUL 55/55 DOUBLE CELEBRATION

The past few days’ national events were a resounding success such that even the most critical of our traditional skeptics have been forced to give credit to His Majesty the King, government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs, the security forces and the entire nation for a successful 55/55 double celebration.

It was truly a stellar performance throughout all the events. The presentations and performances at the national Reed Dance were of superior quality, with a record turnout. This publication estimated approximately 120 000 maidens in attendance this year. The cultural dances from regiments from across the country, to the security forces and organized groups, were all at a very high standard. The royal family members outdid themselves in wonderful precision and individual traditional dance moves, matching and even surpassing the traditional dance moves of Princess Sikhanyiso during her heydays.

The logistics and planning, which is involved in transporting large numbers of maidens from their homes across the country and ensuring their safe return, is a mammoth task on its own. Feeding and housing such large numbers has to require precision and coordination at the highest levels and, in this case, it was done perfectly. The fact that the usual Reed Dance days were extended to include September 6, our independence day, must have added additional strain on the organisers but they managed to pull it off perfectly. The Minister of Home Affairs, Princess Lindiwe, and her team must be given special mention with accolades for her role at the helm of this ministry. You did well Mlangeni and you showed good leadership traits to the extent of taking on the position of master of ceremony of some of the events.

Garden party  

The glitz and glamor of the garden party decoration depicted a venue straight out of Hollywood. The use of hanging, glittering chandeliers and rich gold everywhere just screamed African royalty at its best. The variety of music disciplines was indeed of First World standards. What impressed the most was the decision to use local programme directors and trusting them with such an auspicious occasion with great expectations such as this one. The three young emaSwati did a fantastic job and outdid themselves. The time keeping was very impressive. The performance by our own superstar Boloja was disturbed by a few technical clichés but once he started, he was marvelous. All the performances were just fantastic and majestic, including the fireworks.  

Independence Day 

  The renewal of the Independence Day celebration was indeed a welcomed development; there was a time when families would take time out to be part of this event. Children would get new clothes just to attend Independence Day at Somhlolo National Stadium. The performances by the security forces must have taken many days of practice and rehearsals to bring about discipline and order within the forces. Schools also contributed greatly, having to practice and rehearse, which creates unity and develops national pride. The collaboration for the 55/55 song by a local artist did not do it for me; it seemed rushed with too much rap. The greatest gift to our nation is the birthday of His Majesty. It is an added bonus that the nation will always have to use as a focus point of common unity for all emaSwati. The nation may have to spend millions on such celebrations, but they go a long way in creating unity, national pride and patriotism.

Trade fair is back

The level of presentations and quality of the stalls at the Eswatini International Trade Fair were truly First World. The turnout has also shown that our country has truly come of age. The return of the MTN Trade Fair Cup is a blessing. The Ministry of Commerce has shown that we can do great things in this country. The leadership of Cabinet, in particular Minister Mancoba Khumalo, is truly extraordinary particularly with regard to the emaSwati-friendly legislation now in place. I only wish the Ministry of Information and Technology would blossom. They need to build the broadcasting house and introduce at least two more channels to become inclusive and relevant. Eswatini TV is seriously boring, with no movies and TV series, basically no entertainment. Even the local content is gone but two or so watchable local talk shows remain.

Economic development

The country has done very well post-COVID-19 and post-unrest. The statistics speak for themselves as we have reached a seven per cent growth, which is unprecedented. The presentations of the 55/55 celebration reports by ministers and CEOs on Eswatini Television were very informative. All developmental indicators put Eswatini within the top 10 per cent in all of Africa. According to Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg,  we have many more developmental projects in the pipeline. The Ministry Works, under Chief Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe, has, in my view, scored the highest marks. The repair works on road infrastructure that was damaged by storms cannot go unnoticed. The road infrastructure has improved dramatically across the country, particularly the highways and the one to the international airport. The multi-billion Emalangeni railway network, which has been commissioned, will change the lives of emaSwati. The reintroduction of the Royal Eswatini Airline deserves special mention as a great achievement towards our connectivity and national pride.

The fact that the public transport industry has remained in the hands of emaSwati is an achievement in itself. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has unfortunately failed to develop bus ranks across the country, but they have managed to revive the Housing Board, which has started providing housing and plots for emaSwati. The Ministry of Health performed well during COVID-19 but unfortunately dropped the ball on medication at the last leg of their term in office. They tried to fight corruption, but corruption fought back and won. EmaSwati take for granted the free medical services we get at our public health facilities. The rest of African countries marvel at the level of services provided, yes there can be room for improvement. Comment septembereswatini@gmail.com

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