Rijkenberg pays school fees for vulnerable pupils

MBABANE – Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg has been praised for personally paying school fees for vulnerable pupils in Siteki.

Community representative Valencia Nkambule described the minister’s intervention as ‘one in a million’, saying his assistance had enabled children from families unable to afford school fees to remain in school.

Nkambule was speaking during an Educational Development Conference hosted by Fuzula Lubombo Global Multi-Purpose Co-operative at Mawala Hall.

She publicly acknowledged Rijkenberg’s contribution towards assisting children in Siteki, saying he had previously paid school fees for a number of pupils.

However, she said they later discovered that some children had been left behind. According to Nkambule, her sister, Sindi Nkambule, approached Rijkenberg again and requested assistance for the additional pupils.

“I remember one time when you paid for some pupils, but there were some children who were left behind,” she said.

Nkambule said she was deeply touched by Rijkenberg’s willingness to assist children who were not related to him.

She recalled an occasion when she was informed that the minister’s secretary had reached the limit of assistance that could be provided that day.

She said what touched her most was that Rijkenberg continued to show concern for children he did not personally know.

“He was able to feel for them,” she said.

Nkambule said Rijkenberg had, in some instances, assumed a fatherly role towards children who were not his relatives. Rijkenberg, however, played down the praise, saying his decision to assist vulnerable people was largely influenced by his Christian faith.

He said he did not regard himself as the source of the assistance, but as someone responding to what he believed God was directing him to do.

The minister said he prayed before responding to requests for assistance and sought guidance on whether he should intervene.

“I am just being obedient to God,” Rijkenberg said.

He said he also regarded the resources used to assist people as belonging to God rather than to him personally.

Rijkenberg said his approach to assisting people was therefore not based on whether they were personally known or related to him. The minister also urged young people attending the conference to remain focused on their education and personal development, saying investment in children was important to the country’s future.

He urged pupils to take care of their physical and mental well-being and participate in constructive activities such as sport, gardening and other productive work.

Rijkenberg encouraged young people to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and identify opportunities using resources available to them.

He cautioned against the belief that starting a business always required significant financial resources.

The minister encouraged young people to consider agriculture, beekeeping and other small-scale activities as potential sources of income.

He said Eswatini had fertile land and favourable conditions for agriculture, urging young people to start with what they had and gradually expand their activities.

Rijkenberg also urged them not to shy away from hard work, drawing from his own experience of working in different businesses when he was younger.

He said he had previously worked with a chainsaw, loaded trucks and engaged in beekeeping while building his business career.

“Hard work has not killed anybody,” he said.

Rijkenberg linked investment in young people to government’s broader objective of reducing poverty and unemployment through economic growth.

He said government was working to improve economic growth because increased economic activity created employment opportunities.

According to the minister, economic growth had improved from an average of about two per cent to around five per cent.

However, he said the country needed to achieve significantly higher growth.

Rijkenberg encouraged young people interested in business to make use of available government programmes and funds while also exploring opportunities in the private sector.

Siteki Town Council Mayor Sithembile Simelane also praised initiatives aimed at supporting children and preparing them for future leadership.

Simelane said the municipality appreciated the growing focus on the development of young people, stressing that future leaders had to be prepared long before assuming positions of responsibility.

She thanked Rijkenberg for engaging with communities and explaining government’s fiscal position, saying such engagements helped citizens understand the limitations faced by the State.

Simelane said citizens often expected government to meet every need, but greater understanding of public finances was necessary.

Fuzula Lubombo Global Multi-Purpose Co-operative Chairperson Maxwell Simelane said the organisation was working with partners to support children through education, sport, digital literacy and community development programmes.

He said afternoon classes had been established at the Sunrise Civic Centre to provide pupils with additional academic support after normal school hours.

The programme assists learners with homework, helps close learning gaps and keeps children engaged with their education.

The centre also provides extracurricular activities, including chess, volleyball, darts and soccer.

Maxwell said the activities helped children develop discipline, teamwork, critical thinking, physical fitness and confidence.

He said the co-operative also operated the IRIS Business Hub, which provides internet access, basic computer training, printing and other digital services.

According to Maxwell, the digital centre was intended to expose young people to skills required in an increasingly technology-driven economy.

He said Community Health Evangelism was also supporting families and children through health education, life skills, psychosocial support and community-based interventions.

Maxwell said the combined interventions helped create an environment in which children could remain in school and receive support beyond the classroom. He called for stronger collaboration between government, civil society organisations, development partners, businesses and communities to sustain the programmes.

The co-operative chairperson also appealed for support for income-generating initiatives, equipment, training and materials to help the Sunrise Civic Centre become financially sustainable.

He said businesses could contribute through skills transfer, sponsorship of sporting activities, digital access and creating opportunities for young people.

Maxwell said the programmes demonstrated what could be achieved when communities and institutions worked together.

Rijkenberg urged the children present to remain focused on their studies and future ambitions. He encouraged them to strengthen their relationship with God, persevere through difficulties and complete what they had started.