Home | News | ARMY STILL NEEDS MORE SOLDIERS, SAYS MGWAGWA

ARMY STILL NEEDS MORE SOLDIERS, SAYS MGWAGWA

19/03/2014 04:28:00 BY MUSA SIMELANE

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LOBAMBA – Although a little over 700 army recruits will graduate this Friday, Minister of National Defence and Security Chief Mgwagwa Gamedze said the army needs to reinforce.

As in previous years, the recruits will participate in a pass-out parade to be graced by His Majesty King Mswati III, Her Majesty Indlovukazi and other members of the royal family.

In an interview in Parliament yesterday, where the minister attended the ministry’s Portfolio Committee debate in Senate, he said if the kingdom wanted the long lasting peace it had enjoyed over the years, it had to have more soldiers.
He clarified that in most cases the army did not get the amount of financial resources it always requested for each year, hence a perennial insufficiency.

“We wouldn’t be recruiting every year if we were given enough resources. But there are also other factors that justify the need for more soldiers, such as retirements, death and promotions. There is a need to fill in some spaces,” stated Gamedze.
Presented with the fact that the kingdom was not under siege to necessitate perennial recruitments; he said the Swazi army was not necessarily for war purposes but to protect the sovereignty of the state and its citizens.

“Look, we need reinforcements along the borderline to guard against the presence of smugglers. They smuggle anything and we cannot rule out that there have been attempts to smuggle in weaponry in the past. If people become aware of the strong presence of soldiers along the borderline they will not want to go on smuggling things,” explained the minister.

Gamedze wondered where the country would be if the army had not been vigilant on the borderlines.
Government has, in fact, not held back resources when it comes to the army; for the 2014/15 financial year which begins in April, the army has been granted a budget of E828 million.

Meanwhile, during the debate, some senators asked the minister if there was any shred of truth in the allegation that certain jobs were for sale in the army and he responded to the contrary. Senator Chief Kekela, among other senators, passed sympathy for the 14 army recruits who were struck by lightning last Wednesday and admitted to the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital.
They have since been discharged.

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Comments (9 posted):

Bongani Nxumalo on 19/03/2014 06:08:47

Then disband army keep a colour guard and parade unit then expand a border patrol.

Dressler on 19/03/2014 08:46:28

And who is going to foot the bill and feed them? Oh wait us the tax payers. Why is this country so upbeat about having more soldiers? They hardly in peace missions in war conflicts in Africa. Let alone when natural disasters happen like floods, they never there to help those poor victims. Who is Swaziland going to War against or protecting?

DEE DEE on 19/03/2014 11:54:32

Asicashwe Bekunene,singemagraduates, we can add some improvements in the army, lokugijima asikukhoni tsine.Let us get the share in the army.

Tutu shongwe on 19/03/2014 13:25:49

We all know that security must be a priority sector in a country so as to maintain lasting peace. I'm raising my thumb on that instead of my eyebrows.

Pamela Highsong on 19/03/2014 16:33:35

I personally think that this addition of soldiers is very unnecessary because all that happens is that this people(the soldiers) earn so much money and yet they are doing nothing. Swaziland has never gone to any war neither faught any battle that makes the soldiers deserve all this. We probably just have enough already. Please, if I am mistaken, can somebody enlighten me on why we need more soldiers exactly coz the reasons mentioned in this article absolutely make no sense in my ears.I understand though that people need to be employed but lets also think about the money that will be rather going to waste in this soldiers who jus loiter around, feeling cool as they are adorned in those camouflage suits,really? we don need more at all.

Pamela Highsong

Senzo on 19/03/2014 18:44:22

Its painful to see a bulk of soldiers being employed while they doing nothing at all,we tax payers being sconed our money as for those who worked in Sa like mine workers being taxed more than South African citizens for what?Start with them in your army so at least they would get benefits of their dead fathers money!

vuyiswa smallyboi maseko on 20/03/2014 17:53:18

more solders?? Yebekhu! What am i hearing? What for nje? Itc all redundant!

Zeezy Makhunga on 20/03/2014 18:36:59

I simply dnt get y is it that u people are always complaining...sm of us asisebenti s maybe this is our chance...fully behind the idea of recruiting more soldiers

Vigilant on 20/03/2014 23:14:58

Cha vele the Swazi army/soldiers are 'vigilant'. They have an eye for women shem. No wonder we lose our livestock through the well guarded border lines all the time. Basuke babusy making babies they later refuse to maintain siphindze sibafundzisele. Nam seng'funa kuba lisotja nyalo...