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MALKERNS – The journey to the House on Fire grounds began smoothly yesterday afternoon.
By midday, cars were flowing steadily into the designated parking bays with minimal delay. However, as the afternoon progressed, the quiet Malkerns roads quickly transformed.
By 3:00pm, exactly an hour before the gates were officially set to open, the influx of festivalgoers had turned the main routes into a bottleneck, with vehicles moving at a snail’s pace.
Despite the heavy congestion, the mood inside the cars remained high. Traffic police were visible at key points along the route, actively directing motorists and keeping the gridlock from grinding to a complete halt.
Sitting in the queue of cars, local festivalgoer Fiso Masuku, who was travelling with a group of friends, smiled through the window. She mentioned that they truly did not mind the wait because the pre-festival buildup was all part of the experience. As she spoke, one of her friends leaned over and shouted, ‘MTN Bushfire!’ to the passing crowds. For most motorists, the long wait was a small price to pay for what was waiting for them inside.
Once clear of the traffic, the energy at the main entrance was electric as thousands of people made their way in on foot. The global pull of the festival was obvious right from the first hour.
Among the crowd were Johannesburg-based social media personalities Kagiso and Hlomani. Attending the festival for the very first time, the duo travelled all the way from Gauteng just for the MTN Bushfire experience. They explained that they had been tracking the festival online for years and came fully prepared for the weekend’s energy, noting that they didn’t just hear the call to ‘Bring Your Fire,’ they brought theirs all the way from ‘Joburg’.
The influx of regional visitors highlights the massive economic boost the event brings to the country. Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA) Chief Executive Officer, Vusi Dlamini, was spotted on-site monitoring the arrivals. Dlamini expressed great satisfaction with the day-one turnout, noting that visitors were pouring in from all corners of the Southern African region and beyond.
He highlighted that with high-profile international guests regional tourism partners and representatives from Durban Tourism in attendance, the weekend is already proving to be a massive driver of trade, local hospitality bookings and cultural exchange.
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Double economic impact - PM challenges MTN Bushfire
MALKERNS – Prime Minister (PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini has challenged the MTN Bushfire Festival to double its economic contribution to Eswatini.
This comes as government intensifies efforts to increase tourism and tackle unemployment.
Speaking during an interview with Phiwo Dhlamini at the Bushfire Broadcast Corner yesterday, the prime minister said the country needed major economic projects capable of making a meaningful impact on youth unemployment and economic growth.
His remarks came after organisers revealed that the 2025 edition of MTN Bushfire had generated about E121.2 million for the local economy. Asked what target he would like the festival to reach moving forward, Dlamini immediately pushed for bigger ambitions. “You asked me the wrong question because we are going mega in Eswatini. We realise that only if we go mega are we going to be able to make a dent to the huge unemployment in the country. I’ll say double that,” he said.
If achieved, the target would see the festival contribute over E240 million to the economy. The PM described the event as one of the country’s strongest tourism and economic assets, saying its impact now stretched far beyond entertainment. “Talking about MTN Bushfire, the impact that it has on the economy is massive and we are very much happy to see this growth translating into livelihoods of a number of emaSwati,” he said.
*Full article available on Pressreader*
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