Brutal Truth

Corruption in this country is not just bleeding us dry - it is dragging our nation to the grave. Break the cycle now or be buried with it.

In Eswatini, as in many parts of Africa, promises of transparency in government recruitment exercises are made with confidence at podiums and during official briefings. For ordinary citizens, such assurances are met with deep scepticism. 

For years, allegations of nepotism, favouritism and outright bribery have surfaced whenever recruitment into public service is announced. Many believe the exercise is less about merit and more about who has the right connections - or who has greased the right palms. And, lately, con artists are cashing in on the unemployment crisis in the country, bleeding dry job-seekers of their last savings with empty promises of work, only to disappear once the money changes hands.

The result of these unethical means is a public erosion of trust that runs deep.

In a country already struggling with high unemployment, especially among the youth and university graduates, (allegations of) corruption in hiring has robbed and diminished hope from an entire generation.

Instead of being rewarded for hard work and qualifications, many young people feel shut out of opportunities by a system allegedly tilted in favour of cronies, friends and relatives of the powerful.

Corruption in Eswatini is not an anomaly. It is not a glitch in the system. It is not the work of a few bad apples.

Corruption here has almost become institutional. It has turned into a culture. It is as good as being systemic. Let us face the brutal truth. It is like a malignant cancer, metastasising, eating away at the very foundations of our economy, our democracy (however fragile) and our collective future.

As writers, we have written about it (corruption) before in the media. Many times. Too many times. We have documented the alleged rot. We have named names of some of those implicated or allegedly involved in acts of corruption - sometimes explicitly, sometimes through careful implication.

We have sounded alarms. We have pleaded. We have raged. All in vain. The scourge continues unabated, despite the existence of entities meant to investigate and root out this anomaly.

Yet, here we are again, not because we enjoy repeating ourselves, but because the cancerous disease is worsening, stripping away our hopes, our future and that of the coming generations.

The warnings have been (deliberately?) ignored, swept under the carpet, not heeded. The perpetrators are not hiding — they are thriving. And the people? The people are paying the price.

This is not a misguided rant. It is not an attack on any one individual or family. This is a diagnosis - cold, clinical and brutally honest - of a national crisis that no amount of pageantry, patriotic rhetoric or economic summits can mask any longer.

Unemployment in Eswatini is not just a statistic. It is a lived reality for thousands of young men and women who complete school, university, etc., only to find doors closed.

For them, the recruitment process into for example, government ministries, the army, police service or civil service represents one of the few opportunities for stable employment.
When these exercises are perceived or alleged to lack transparency in recruitment processes by some, the psychological and social costs are immense.

Young people grow cynical and many lose faith in government altogether. Some, frustrated by endless rejection, choose to migrate - legally or otherwise - to neighbouring countries like South Africa or beyond. Others remain trapped in underemployment or informal work, with little chance of social mobility.

This brain drain weakens the country further. When young, skilled graduates leave in search of opportunity abroad, Eswatini loses not only talent, but also the potential for innovation and development.

It is reassuring that government’s high-ranking officials have put it succinctly that there will be transparency in upcoming national recruitments for security personnel. No short cuts will be entertained. Bravo!
The corruption rot does not stop with job recruitment.

Allegations have also surfaced about the allocation of government scholarships - lifelines for many students from low-income families who dream of pursuing higher education.

Instead of being awarded on merit and need, scholarships are reportedly, allegedly given to those with connections or to families that are able to pay bribes.

If true, such practices not only rob deserving students of opportunity, but also deepen inequality in a society already stratified by wealth and privilege.
The healthcare sector, too, has suffered gravely under the weight of corruption.

Persistent procurement scandals have plagued the system, leading to chronic shortages of essential drugs. The consequences are tragic as patients who could have been saved die because the system fails to provide basic medicines. Corruption here is not an abstract issue of governance; it is a matter of life and death.
Trust is the glue that binds citizens to their government. Once broken, it is difficult to restore. In Eswatini, the perception that jobs, scholarships, etc., are distributed not by merit or fairness, but by favouritism and corruption, has eroded confidence in State institutions.
This distrust can be more destabilising than any economic challenge. Citizens who believe the system is rigged will not participate meaningfully in it.

They may disengage from civic processes like voting, or worse, they may resist the State entirely. It is a fact that corruption breeds resentment, which may result in anger and rebellion against authority. History shows that when corruption becomes systemic and public trust collapses, societies face heightened risks of unrest and instability.

A striking feature of corruption in Eswatini and indeed across much of Africa is the culture of impunity. Senior officials accused of corruption often face little consequences. They remain in office or worse, are redeployed to other influential positions.

This lack of accountability sends a dangerous message: corruption pays. Indeed, the big fish - bobhabuli labakhulu - often escape accountability, continue to amass illicitly begotten wealth.
It is no surprise, then, that junior officials and ordinary citizens begin to mimic the behaviour of their superiors.

When young people see leaders enrich themselves without consequence, they internalise the belief that success in life is not about hard work or honesty, but about manipulation and graft.

Corruption thus becomes culturally normalised in everyday life, from paying a small bribe for services to tolerating large-scale looting at the top. Indeed, corruption starts as a petty crime, graduating into grand corruption.

What are some of the effects then, of corruption, dear reader? Corruption is not just about stolen money or unfair recruitment lists. It is about stolen futures. When investors look at a country where deals depend on bribes rather than merit, they quietly take their money elsewhere.

The factories that could have employed young people are never built, the industries that could have lifted families out of poverty never take off. Jobs vanish before they even exist and hope goes with them.

The cost is equally cruel in public services. Every Lilangeni siphoned off by dishonest officials is a textbook not bought, a clinic without medicine or a road that remains a dust track.

Citizens pay their taxes with the belief that schools will open, hospitals will treat and roads will connect, but corruption steals those promises, leaving broken systems and broken trust in its wake.

For the poor, the injustice is even sharper. A talented student without the right connections is passed over for a scholarship.

A small business owner is edged out of a contract because someone richer can grease the right palms. Those with privilege move further ahead while the disadvantaged remain trapped. The gap between rich and poor stretches wider and with it grows a dangerous sense of exclusion.

And then comes the most corrosive effect of all, which is the damage to society’s very glue. When citizens no longer believe that hard work pays or that justice is possible, resentment festers. Neighbours begin to mistrust one another, faith in institutions collapses and anger simmers beneath the surface. Eventually, that anger explodes in protests, resulting in instability, if not total violence. Corruption does not just weaken economies or services; it breaks the bonds that hold nations together.

What then, is the way forward, maSwati akitsi? Let us examine what strategies we can employ kucedza or at least, minimise lomkhuba lomubi?:

Strengthen accountability institutions: Empower independent anti-corruption bodies and if it exists, protect the judiciary from political interference.

Transparent recruitment and scholarships: Digitise, anonymise processes and establish independent oversight panels.

Public participation and civic education: Educate citizens on their rights, support civil society, media and watchdog groups.

Leadership by example: Hold corrupt leaders accountable, enforce asset declarations and conduct audits.

Protect whistle-blowers: Enact and enforce laws shielding them from retaliation.

Youth engagement: Involve young people in designing and monitoring reforms, as they are most affected by corruption and unemployment.

To eradicate corruption, we need to understand that the time for half-measures is over. Platitudes or excuses about transparency will no longer suffice. What Eswatini needs now is action that is urgent, decisive and uncompromising. Leaders must rise above self-interest and embrace integrity, not as a slogan, but as a way of governance. Citizens, too, must refuse to normalise corruption in their daily lives.

If Eswatini can confront this scourge honestly and boldly, it can still turn the tide. But the clock is ticking. A generation is watching and history will not be kind if the opportunity to change course is squandered.
Corruption is not simply a moral failing, but a national emergency. It undermines development, erodes trust, and robs citizens of dignity.

Corruption is also man-made and anything that is man-made can be unmade.
Eswatini stands at a crossroads. Down one path lies continued decay, broken trust stalled development and a disillusioned youth forced to seek opportunity elsewhere. Down the other path lies renewal, a transparent, fair and accountable society where merit matters, where services are delivered and where every citizen has a chance to thrive.

History has well documented records of kleptocrats - that is, governments run by looters. In such systems, leaders use their power to steal public wealth for personal gain, turning corruption from occasional wrongdoing into an organised, systemic way of ruling - leaving citizens and national development to suffer.

I pray that our present and future governments do not fall prey to this dastardly practice. Yebo...asithandaze, maSwati akitsi...

History remembers the names of those who bled their nations dry while wearing suits and smiles. It remembers the societies they broke and the revolutions they provoked.

To the ordinary people, I know you are tired. I know you are disillusioned. I know it feels like the dice is loaded against the ordinary people and that the ungodly always win.

But you are not powerless. Your voice matters. Your refusal to participate in corruption matters. Your vote, if it becomes meaningful, matters.

Your children, our children are watching. What will you teach them? That corruption is inevitable, is godly, is buSwati? Or that integrity is worth fighting for?

This is not a battle for tomorrow. It’s a battle for today. For your child’s education. For your parent’s healthcare. For your sibling’s job. For your own dignity.

Corruption in Eswatini is not a storm we must weather. It is a fire we must extinguish - together, now, before there is nothing left to save.

The brutal truth is that we are running out of time. Nevertheless, we are not out of hope. Not yet!

The choice, though difficult, is clear. The question is whether the nation has the courage to make it. The ball is in the court of each one of us. Peace! Shalom!

Corruption in this country is not just bleeding us dry - it is dragging our nation to the grave. (Pic: Investopedia)