SCHOOL FEES HEADACHE FOR SOME ‘BROKE’ MPS

MANZINI – Some legislators say they are already swimming in debt due to an influx by some of their constituents seeking assistance with school-related expenditure.

The legislators, who are in their fourth month in office, said despite being in debt due to financial commitments emanating from their election campaigns during the 2023 General Elections, they could not send back their constituents empty-handed.  The Members of Parliament (MPs), who engaged this publication, said they were alive to the economic challenges a majority of emaSwati faced as they lived within the same communities.

Assisting

Others said they were assisting those who were vulnerable with school fees, stationery and school uniforms prior to them assuming office in the 12th Parliament. Some of them called for a review of the school funding system as they supposed that this was a national issue given the high rate of unemployment in the country, which as per the Labour Survey of 2021 by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, stood at 33.3 per cent.
Somntongo Constituency MP Sandile Nxumalo said there was an influx of people seeking assistance with the school-related expenditure. He said in dealing with the needs of the constituents, they met as an inkhundla council to engage on the resources they could raise to contribute towards the requests.

Debts

“The unfortunate part is that we are still paying debts accrued from the campaigns we had as a council; however, we cannot let the people go empty-handed. We offer whatever we can raise at any given instance,” he said. Nxumalo said it was not enough and understanding the dynamics of the constituents played a role in the disbursement of the assistance. He said this was an issue which parliamentarians needed to find a long lasting solution for.

The politician said the request for school-related expenditure was not an isolated issue, but it spoke to the poverty challenges which engulfed the country.
“This issue is serious and if the youth can’t be kept in schools, they will come across people who will be their handlers and shall expose them to things which can be a problem for the country in the long run,” Nxumalo said. Also, Kubuta Constituency MP Masiphula Mamba said the month of January was synonymous with people seeking financial aid to meet various obligations.

He said: “This is understandable as the nation, through Sibaya, raised various concerns revolving around the economic challenges. School fees are too high and the number of unemployed people increased a lot due to COVID-19.” Mamba said he anticipated the requests from constituents and had planned around it. He said they discussed the people’s needs with the inkhundla council and tried to assist where possible.
Sacrificing

The legislator said being a politician was not a get-rich quick scheme, but meant sacrificing in some instances and putting their needs first.
Mtsambama Constituency legislator Sibongile Mamba said the requests were coming in thick and fast. She said the requests varied between top-up fees, school uniforms and shoes. In anticipation of this, Sibongile said she had set aside a fraction of her resources to deal with the needs of the people. The politician requested not to divulge her budget but said it was purely reserved for the needs of her constituents.

“We are in a very impoverished area and we know some of the needs by the families and we had planned for them. In the past few weeks, I have attended to over 50 people with various requests for assistance,” she said. Also, Matsanjeni South MP Sabelo Ndlangamandla said the requests were seemingly a national issue. He expressed an understanding of the various challenges his constituents experienced. Ndlangamandla said his constituency was one of the most impoverished in the country and had minimal job opportunities. He said the needs forwarded to him included buying school uniforms, stationery and also paying school fees.

“We are lucky to have been able to get people to sponsor us with school shoes. We are now seeking assistance from sponsors to pay school fees for high school going learners as the fees are too steep,” Ndlangamandla said.The legislator said there was a need for the country to review its policy on education and avail it for free to all learners as the social challenges were making it hard for others to access education.Also, Shiselweni II Constituency MP Bhekithemba Bhembe said: “This is a national issue which needs the input of every person in the country. If resources were available, education would be made free as the fees are too high for unemployed and or low earning citizens.”

Requests

Bhembe said there was no day when they did not receive school-related requests. The MP said where possible, he assisted while he was also looking for sponsors to assist with more resources. Gege Constituency MP Magesi Dlamini said: “We make do with what we have and assist as much as possible; however, our resources are minimal compared to the needs brought by the constituents.” Dlamini said he sought political office aware of the challenges as he had seen it happening with previous politicians in the past terms. On the other hand, Zombodze Emuva Constituency legislator Ntando Mkhonta said the situation was bad such that on average, there were five requests per day.

Uniforms

Mkhonta said where he could assist with school uniforms; he shared his resources while directing those seeking school fees to file applications with the Department of Social Welfare. It is worth noting that during the Peoples Parliament – Sibaya – in October 2023, a number of people appealed that politicians should look into setting a uniform amount for school fees as they claimed that some were too exorbitant. They also called upon government to lead by example such that it should pay grants to schools on time so that parents could follow suit.

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