HOW TO GET IT DONE

They didn’t have a future a few months ago because their families were too poor to enroll their children in free primary education. However, this has changed as a chance to make their lives more meaningful has been availed and they are now enrolled in school. These are the once-forgotten children of Maphiveni. Our Lubombo regional journalist, Thokozani Mamba, brought attention to their plight a few weeks ago.

Their parents are seasonal workers in one of the country’s largest sugar cane fields. They only make enough money to get by, leaving them with almost no money for the daily E20 bus fare that each of their children need to get to school. The lack of identity documents (IDs) also hampered the children’s desire for an education.

Acted

This situation caught the attention of Deputy Prime Minister Thuli Dladla, who this week personally oversaw the first day of school for about 48 of these pupils. She acted quickly by going on a fact-finding trip that confirmed what we had previously reported. Since then, she has been able to get help and, as a result, the Ministry of Home Affairs granted them IDs, Microprojects fixed a building in the community that is now a school, and the Ministry of Education and Training gave them teachers and school supplies.

The United Nations Population Fund International (UNFPA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have also come forward to assist high school pupils with shoes, school bags, as well as school fees and bus fares.
These are the results that the people at Sibaya are expecting, but it should not be a once-off political stunt just to appease the masses. We will follow through on these children until they complete their education.

Poverty is real in this country and there are situations that are direr than those at Maphiveni. According to a May 2023 country report of the International Monetary Fund, the local poverty rate is estimated at 59 per cent of the population, which is below the poverty line, with 29 per cent of the population living in extreme poverty. It also states that Eswatini ranks among countries with the highest income inequality. This has to change.

Poverty

The Maphiveni story is an all-encompassing scenario of life in Eswatini. Income inequality would refer to finding such poverty in a region that is regarded as the producer of what is often referred to as ‘Swazi gold.’ Sugar cane production is the highest revenue earner for the country through exports.

The sugar industry realised E6.44 billion last year, which was up from E5.67 billion in 2022, according to the Eswatini Sugar Association Annual Report 2022/23. This means a significant amount of tax revenue is derived from this income, but government has to ensure it is fairly distributed to uplift the livelihoods of all our people. That is why people called for budget consultations at grassroots level.

The Maphiveni story also represents the missing children in the education sector. In meeting the aspirations of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which advocates for inclusive and quality education for all by 2030, Eswatini has done well overall in enrolment, thanks to the FPE programme. However, many of these pupils then disappear from the radar for various reasons, including pregnancy among girls and a lack of financial means, among others.

The DPM recently set out to look for 30 000 children who have ‘gone missing’ from the school system between primary and high school over the past 12 years and 31 per cent of them come from the Lubombo Region, according to a study done by UNICEF. We must ensure that those who start, get to finish school.

Respond

Furthermore, the Maphiveni life-changing moment represents the service delivery potential of government where a political will exists. It took a dedicated DPM to give herself time to respond to a cry for help and attend to it. It also highlighted how cooperation with other ministries can yield positive results and a quick turnaround time. It also demonstrates how the good utilisation of support from our development partners like UNICEF can bring us closer to realising our aspirations of a better life for all emaSwati.

And, of course, the Maphiveni community episode places on record the role of the media in raising issues that matter by providing information that is critical for all so that the right decisions can be made. Our new politicians, who will officially get their assignments underway as His Majesty opens the first session of the 12th Parliament today, have more than plenty to work on. There is not a day to waste as the needs of the people were clearly expressed during Sibaya, leaving none of us unsure about what needs to be done, by whom, where, when, how and why!

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