Times Of Swaziland: WORRYING TIMES FOR ESWATINI

WORRYING TIMES FOR ESWATINI
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The Editor on 29/12/2020 23:30:00


Sir,
These are troubling times for anybody relying on a pay cheque for a living.
There are job losses looming everywhere you go. This cycle has been a slow but
vicious one since the COVID-19 pandemic hit our shores. Slowly but surely our
economy is sinking into a recession that looks to be worse than the 2008-2012
financial crisis.
Recovery seems too far off to even contemplate. What are we doing to save our
economy from collapse? What is being done to save all those pay cheques that are
the single source of income for the majority of employees in this country? We
are losing more investment than we can attract as a country. What is being done
to reverse this trend?
Adopted
It would appear Cabinet has adopted a strategy of  dealing with this crisis
behind closed doors but this approach is of no help because the current
situation needs the input of every citizen, especially the workers who always
suffer the consequences of decisions made to suit only those seated in the
swinging chairs of boardrooms.
Behind the job losses are human beings with dependants. The obvious snowball
effect is that retail outlets will suffer loss of business and they too will be
forced lay off staff. The sad thing here is that nobody is preparing employees
for this setback.
Dumping staff is easy, however, the trauma experience inflicted on the employee
is very hard to manage. The victims become vulnerable to all sorts of situations
that may lead them towards adopting a survival mode that is ultimately
detrimental to themselves and the country. Crime, prostitution, suicides that
burden the state with more orphans, as well as many other associated ills come
to the fore.
EmaSwati, for various reasons, do not have a saving culture that could serve as
a safety net should they lose their jobs. Besides, the sluggish economy offers
very little options in terms venturing into business as this sector is just not
growing at a pace that could accommodate more entrepreneurs.
So while we talk economic downturn, fiscal crisis, etc, let us put a human face
to the solutions being proposed so that people are prepared psychologically and
financially for what is most certainly coming their way at the rate things are
going. Only God knows how they will manage to put food on the table. Government
can avert this crisis by simply engaging more, listening and heeding the advice
it is given for a change.
M Dlamini