It is with deep gratitude to the Almighty God that we have made it to 2026. The reality is that many who wished to see this day did not make it, not because they had done anything wrong but because in God’s plan, it was time to answer to His call. For those of us who have been given an opportunity to be alive in 2026, we should grab the opportunity with both hands. Hence, we need to plan well, as failing to plan is planning to fail.
To be honest, it has been a challenging year at global, continental, regional, national, community, family and individual levels. We witnessed the raging wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, southern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where millions were unfortunately displaced, while tens of thousands lost their lives, millions were maimed, left without shelter and personal dignity. It was sad to see Gaza infrastructure falling to the ground, with thousands of civilians frequently moved from their homes and shelters, in response to Israeli’s military evacuation orders.
While this was unfolding, the institutions, especially the United Nations, that were to act as safeguards for global peace were severely weakened as permanent members of the United Nations for example, failed to prevent chaotic scenes among warring parties. It was sad that the commitment made in 1948, as countries adopted the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, where it was said never again will human rights violations be allowed to undermine human dignity and sanctity of life,was not upheld. Also, noted is that the African Union and regional bodies like SADC have also failed to offer African solutions to African problems. Hence, the West had to intervene in brokering peace, as continental institutions failed.
The coming into office by President Trump on a promise of ‘Making America Great Again’ was also a turning point in geopolitics. The United States Government decision to withdraw humanitarian funding, affected developing countries in unprecedented ways as these depended on the generosity of the American people. Countries were, unfortunately, not able to adapt quickly to changing circumstances, as they faced fiscal tight spaces to fill the financial gap. Hence, thousands of workers were left jobless, worsening an already volatile high unemployment situation.
In Eswatini, government led by Prime Minister (PM) Russell Dlamini, tried to address the drugs shortage crisis by setting up Cabinet subcommittee to help government address the crisis. Unfortunately, the drugs shortage crisis persisted in spite of commitment from government to address the problem.
This crisis, unfortunately, led to loss of lives for emaSwati, especially those who requiring emergency care. It is well documented that the kidney patients were among those severely affected. Health professionals were compelled to march to the Ministry of Health and Prime Minister’s Office to raise the alarm.
It was indeed sad to see trained professionals, who took a pledge to save lives failing to live up to expectation due to this crisis. However, emaSwati are grateful that the health professionals tried all they could to provide care to all. We are also grateful to the minister for Health who also continued to assure the nation that government is making effort to address the problem. He was never deterred by critics.
On the justice front, we saw the release, through parole, of former member of Parliament Mthandeni Dube and others. His release was received with mixed emotions. However, what was important was that he was finally released to finish his sentence at home. We pray that 2026 be a year of full integration for him and those who were granted parole. We also look forward to the release of the other former Member of Parliament, Bacede Mabuza.
The nation continued to be shocked by worsening situation of gender-based violence (GBV) with some women sadly losing their lives in the hands of those who once claimed to love them. The call for GBV to be declared a national emergency has fallen on deaf ears, unfortunately. One wonders who should die to trigger positive response. This is truly a national crisis that requires all sectors of society to make a contribution.
The other problem that has continued to haunt our country are the high levels of corruption. We recall that the PM responding to ‘nkwe’ mandate by appointing a high-level task team and the nation was hopeful that ‘boBhabuli’ will be brought to justice. However, to date, no high-profile case has been prosecuted. Instead, the forensic report has been discredited. Lena once again ‘yindzaba yetfu sonkhe’. We dare not leave it only to government!
We are hoping for a better 2026!
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