SILAMBILE (WE ARE HUNGRY)

THERE is a trending audio by one  prominent liSwati, where he mourned that ‘he was hungry’.  He stated that he has sacrificed his life as a patriotic liSwati during civil unrest in the interest of the country and her leadership.
Unfortunately, he feels he has been dumped and forgotten by the powerful and connected.

This was followed by a chiefs’ meeting that was deliberating on the national budget, where they were quoted by the media saying ‘we are hungry too’. Chiefs play an important role in the governing system as, according to the Constitution, they are the footstool for the Monarch.

Responsible  

They are the ones responsible for administration at community level.  They have a responsibility to take care of the most vulnerable members of society. That is why chiefs, at the peak of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, had to step in to address the plight of orphaned children in their respective communities. How do they help communities if they are also ravaged by the scourge of poverty?

When I listened to the audio and also read about the chiefs’ sentiments, it dawned on me that emaSwati are going through tough times. In this audio leliSwati feels he has demonstrated his loyalty and patriotism in this country to be living in squalor. The reality is that the cry by the liSwati and chiefs, is a general situation. Thousands of emaSwati are trapped in poverty currently estimated at 58.9 per cent, unemployment at 33 per cent for the general population and at around a staggering 60 per cent for young people, according to Ministry of Labour National Labour Survey.
This is well articulated in the policy which acknowledges that:

“The Kingdom of Eswatini is confronted with surmountable multiple crises on the backdrop of poor service delivery at 0.35 (public service delivery index) and low economic growth, namely high rates of poverty at 58.9 per cent in 2017 (CSO); unemployment at approximately 35.4 per cent as of 2023 (Ministry of Labour); deteriorating health services among other challenges.

Denial

The United Nations defines ‘denial of choices and opportunities’, a violation of human dignity.  It means lack of basic capacity to participate effectively in society, it means not having enough to feed and clothe one’s family, not having a school or clinic to go to, not having the land on which to grow one’s food or a job to earn one’s living, not having access to credit.

It means insecurity, powerlessness and exclusion of individuals, households and communities. It means susceptibility to violence, and it often implies living on marginal or fragile environments, without access to clean water or sanitation.” The cry for help by the liSwati and chiefs, serves to underpin the pain of experiencing the indignity of poverty in our country.

As articulated in the definition above, those who are trapped in poverty are denied choices in terms of what to eat, what to wear, how to access health services, which school to send their children, how to secure a job to earn a living, and how to a access  opportunities to advance their aspirations. They are unable to access good nutrition for themselves and their families especially if they are heads of households. These are fellow emaSwati, who are powerless and feel excluded from mainstream society.

Hope

It is also concerning that the only hope that those trapped in poverty have is His Majesty, the King. Hence, we have seen a new phenomenon, where some emaSwati have done the unthinkable by targeting to get the King’s attention. Those who have been lucky have indeed been able to get the assistance that they need. Where is the government as people now look up to the head of State for help?  

Why are Emaswati not targeting Cabinet ministers, including the prime minister for help?  We are aware that members of Parliament are always inundated by community members who are seeking for humanitarian assistance.  Some even decide to rent houses away from their communities as pressure mounts.It is clear that the Government of Eswatini has an enormous task. EmaSwati are indeed hungry.

EmaSwati trapped in poverty are losing hope. The government has made its intention clear how it would like to address the plight of emaSwati. However, will this translate to change of the status quo. The reality is that government policy on itself will not perform miracles.  An opportunity was missed during the budget process when the government failed to invest in social protection measures to cushion the vulnerable groups including the elderly, disabled and children.

The elderly grants have been static for years at E500, yet for most of the beneficiaries, this could be the only source of income for the whole family. Education grants have been static too and the food supply has been erratic.
Eswatini is facing a monumental humanitarian crisis. We need action not words! 

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