In a sermon, delivered on 28 January 2017, King Mswati
declared the drought over.
The Sunday Observer,
a newspaper in effect owned by the King who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last
absolute monarch, reported, ‘His Majesty said he was proud because it turned
out that Swazis really believed in God as they were now experiencing tremendous
amounts of rain.’
The newspaper said the King told ‘thousands of
Christians’ assembled at the Mandvulo Grand Hall, ‘God tests your faith as a
Christian by setting challenges and it is through these that as a Christian you
must really pray and trust in Him to come through for you, because He is a
faithful God.’
The Sunday
Observer added, ‘The king then declared that 2017 will be a year on bumper
harvest for Swazis and prosperity in all spheres of life. “It will be a year of
great harvest, prosperity and everyone will achieve everything they wish for.
Pay no regard to your employment status as this is the year you all achieve
everything,” he prophesied.’
However, the World Food Program (WFP) in a monthly update on the drought situation in Swaziland, reported, ‘In December 2016, in response to a request from the Government to increase WFP’s assistance with an additional 100,000 people during the lean season, WFP started expanding its in-kind food assistance to an additional 22,000 people in two new constituencies.
However, the World Food Program (WFP) in a monthly update on the drought situation in Swaziland, reported, ‘In December 2016, in response to a request from the Government to increase WFP’s assistance with an additional 100,000 people during the lean season, WFP started expanding its in-kind food assistance to an additional 22,000 people in two new constituencies.
‘In December, WFP assisted 152,000 people with
emergency food assistance, of which 30,000 received cash based transfers under
the emergency response.
‘Substantial gaps in the funding situation remain and
WFP urgently requires US$5.5 million in order to ensure sufficient scale up and
assistance to 250,000 food insecure people throughout the lean season, which
lasts until March 2017.’
The WFP report continued, ‘Two years of consecutive
droughts have led to failed harvests, high food prices, agricultural livelihood
degradation, livestock losses, reduced water availability, and an overall
increase in food insecurity.
‘Water sources declined by 50 percent during 2016
causing widespread crop failure. This has contributed to an increasingly
vulnerable situation and the 2016/2017 agricultural season will need close
monitoring.’
Despite the rains, ‘weather conditions continue to
have varied impact on the current agricultural season throughout the country,’
the report stated.
It stated, ‘In December, under the Emergency
Operation, WFP assisted 152,000 drought-affected people through emergency food
distributions, of which 122,000 people received food distributions and 30,000
people received cash-based transfers. Also, some 4,500 people received food
assistance under the Food by prescription project.’
See also
KING
SAYS GOD STOPPED DROUGHT
KING
BUYS JET AS UN BAILS KINGDOM OUT
NO
FUNDS TO PROTECT DROUGHT KIDS
No comments:
Post a Comment