Swaziland’s
absolute monarch King Mswati III has ordered his Government to make budget cuts as his kingdom approaches financial
meltdown.
Following the King’s speech on Friday (12 February
2016), the Swazi Observer Sunday,
a newspaper in effect owned by the King, reported that Prime Minister Barnabas
Dlamini, said ‘now that
the King had spoken it was compulsory that the government implemented this’.
Dlamini was
personally appointed Prime Minister by the King. He was never elected to
Parliament by the people.
But, it remains
to be seen whether King Mswati and his fourteen wives and vast Royal Family
will also make cuts.
History
suggests they will not.
The Royal
budget amounts to about five percent of national spending. It increased by 25
percent between 2015 and 2016.
The Nation, an independent monthly magazine
in Swaziland, reported in 2015 that for the year 2015/16, every
budget of the royal household, except for the subvention to the King’s Office,
had a ‘generous increase.’
The Nation
reported, ‘The overall budget for King Mswati and the royal household took a
significant increase of about 25 percent from E630 million [US$63 million at
the then exchange rate] to E792 million. This reflects a staggering E162
million increase and accounts for just about five percent of the overall
national budget. This has been the trend for some years.
‘Government increased the Royal Emoluments and Civil
List by 21.9 percent from E279 million last year to E340 million. This reflect
an increase E61 million.
‘The Swazi National Treasury, a royal unit responsible
for national courts and advisory committees such as Liqoqo, the idle Border
Restoration Committee and others, has its budget handsomely increased by E77
million from E200 million. This is a 38.9 percent increase.
‘Government further increased budget for construction
of State houses by E13 million from E131 million to E144 million. This is an
increase of about 10 percent. The state houses are mainly palaces for the royal
household. This budget has become a common feature in the national budget.
‘The budget for link roads to royal residence has been
increased by E5 million from E25 million last year to E30 million this year.
This reflects a 20 percent increase. The status of the project has never been
publicly disclosed. This is another budget that has become a common feature in
the national budget.
‘Government cut down subvention to the King’s Office
by E3.4 million from E5 million to E1.6 million. This is a decrease of about 68
percent. A budget of E252 million has been made for the link road to KMIII
Airport and to Hlane.
‘At the opening of the KMIII airport last year (2014),
government blew over E5 million on a bash for the royal project.’
The Nation
magazine is edited by Bheki Makhubu, who along with writer and journalist
Thulani Maseko, were released
from jail on 30 June 2015 after serving 15 months for contempt
of court after writing and publishing articles critical of the Swazi judiciary.
The magazine has a long-standing
reputation for covering stories about people in power in the
kingdom, ruled by King Mswati, who is the last absolute monarch in sub-Saharan
Africa.
The Nation
reported, ‘The budget for the royal household is not debated in parliament. Not
because there is any law against it but simple because it is considered unSwazi
and a taboo for commoners to discuss anything pertaining to the esteemed
family.
‘Parliament is also in the dark as to how the funds
are used as audited reports are only for the eyes of the King.’
See also
THE
HYPOCRISY OF KING MSWATI III
SWAZI
KING ATTACKS LAVISH LIFESTYLES
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/02/swazi-king-attacks-lavish-lifestyles.html
No comments:
Post a Comment