WE CAN’T AFFORD HIGH TARIFFS

Madam,

It’s unbelievable that the men and women we choose to look after our interest are now the same people making our lives even worst. How can one in his right mind approve such tariffs when our state of socio-economy spells poverty in all the corners of the country?

The problems with such people is that they think that what they throw out into the world, will not catch up with them, like they will forever be in authority and yet one day, whatever decision they take today, which they feel makes them look good, will catch up with them sooner than later. I think it would have been better that for the year 2025/26 there is no tariff increase for both the water services and electricity, since they have the financial muscle, based on the profits made. The profits that they have made should be used to finance the projects that they want to venture into.

Category

EWSC has made a profit of E354 million in the last four years, EEC a category A state-owned enterprise in terms of the public enterprise control and monitoring Act No. 8 of 1989, the power utility company’s objectives are to generate, transmit, distribute and supply electricity and also import and export it into and out of Eswatini. The company posted impressive earnings, amounting to a total of E2.297 billion, what buffles me is, what happened to all that money? Government being the major shareholder received a whooping E19 million in respect of profits for the year ended march 31, 2021. This state-owned enterprise in 2023 alone made a profit of E83 million, following a E211 million profit in 2022, E379 million in 2021 and E438 million in 2020. We consumers are going to bear the brunt of EEC’s pursuit for greater revenue.

Enterprises

Our decent work country programme for the years 2022-2025 says: “Leaving no one behind”. But the way these State-owned enterprises are going, we, the citizens, will be left behind. EEC says it needs the tariff increase in order to cater for its expansion plans and to ensure the sustainability of its operations as per the 10-year master plan to 2031. I suggest that they use the profits made to cater for this expansion, because the money is there. Instead of us poverty-stricken citizens funding this massive expansion of a plan. With our wish to attain the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, that future looks bleak.

The question remains: Why should the electrification of the country come at such a high cost to us consumers, especially when the company appears to be doing quite well, with a stable financial position? Should this burden of these projects fall primarily on us consumers, especially when the company is already profitable? I think it must consider how to fund these initiatives without putting to much pressure on us consumers. The company’s strategic vision is essential for Eswatini’s future, but it is equally important to ensure that the journey towards the achievement of this strategy takes into account the socio-economic situation of population.

“We must walk rapidly, but not run. We must not be opportunists, nor allow our enthusiasms to make us lose the vision of concrete reality”- Amilcar Cabral.

You then have a duly voted member of Parliament saying that: “The tariff should have been implemented in April this year”. This is a someone who thinks that whatever he is getting now will continue to cushion him even after the 5-year term. He has truly lost the vision of concrete reality. What goes up must come down and what goes around surely comes around. The reality I talk of will hit him when he is no longer an MP with no lucrative benefits. In the words of Samora Machel, “The State must be the first to be organised and totally committed to serving the interests of the people”.

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