ARE THESE STREET KIDS OR STREET ADULTS?

Sir,

I once watched a film by my favourite Actor Eddie Murphy ‘Coming to America’. One of the episodes in the film that caught my eyes was the hobos. They were acting but it seemed so real. The past week was quite a busy one for me. I knocked off way after time and had to drive home very late.

I was passingthe Manzini central business district (CBD) and what I saw made me cry. I couldn’t, for a moment imagine that such was real. Along some of the shop verandas, there were people sleeping, either wearing blankets or only their clothes and they were both men and women. My heart really sank. Here, I am talking about the adjacent shops to the police station.
 
evidently sick
These hobos were coughing and were exposed to the cold temperatures. I stood for a good quarter of an hour looking at them.
I asked myself: “Where they come from and what have they eaten? If its food, then my good guess was that it must have been from the dustbins around the city. I asked myself this one question ‘is this supposed to be happening in our country? Who looks after the welfare of these hobos? Or are we even supposed to have them in the first place?

Why is our government neglecting them? Is it a way of killing them slowly? Our Ministry of Labour and Social Security is not doing justice at all. We are being taxed to the bone with the hope that our taxes shall benefit everyone including these hobos. These people I am talking about are Swazis born and bred here.

Why are they treated like this? Why are they not looked after? Well, it is a case of a very negligent government, a government which does not look after its very own people. A government which is so self-centred.
If the government can spend millions buying new cars which will benefit only the few visitors, why can’t it spend the same millions looking after the homeless people?  It is a universally acknowledged fact that when it comes to looking after its people, our government rating is zero.  Despite that, if you tell them about spending where their mouth is, then you are the right man.

 marginalised people

The fact that these marginalised people roam the streets and sleep in the cold is a sign of gross negligence. Let us not forget that Fr. McDonnell (inyoni) did his best in collecting all these homeless people and we must not forget that Mckorkindale did the same. Why does it have to be foreigners who take care of such things?

Are we blind enough not to see what needs to be done? If we are able to see that we need new cars for a one day celebration, why can’t we see that we need one big village for the homeless?
 Eventually my worst fear will be confirmed soon and that would be of these homeless people impregnating each other and the problem will be blown out of proportions.
That will really take the country back to the dogs. Here, we are talking of normal humans who have feelings like you and me and who are capable of producing offsprings who will soon litter the streets. Why can’t this be brought under control now?

I remember our Prime Minister who once said that the poor will always be with us mhmmm! Is that supposed to be the case? Since the poor shall always be with us, does it mean they must be left to die and unattended?
One thing I have learnt in this life is that, even if you can accumulate millions of Emalangeni in your account, you will never ever take it with you to hell or heaven, you always leave it behind and someone else will spend it wrecklessly without any care in the world.

So my request is, let us look after the homeless. Let us not forget that God is watching us and will definitely judge us. Remember that these homeless people are images of the Almighty God. And they need to be treated as God would like to be treated.

By: Khokhumncadvo  Dlamini
Ka- Zondwako ( Ebutsini )

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