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Monday 8 August 2022

Swaziland Newsletter No. 737 – 29 July 2022

 

Swaziland Newsletter No. 737 – 29 July 2022

News from and about Swaziland, compiled by Global Aktion, Denmark (www.globalaktion.dk) in collaboration with Swazi Media Commentary (www.swazimedia.blogspot.com), and sent to all with an interest in Swaziland - free of charge.

 

Increase grants by 100%, minimum wage - unions

By Nonduduzo Kunene, eSwatini Observer, 28 July 2022

SOURCE

 

MBABANE: Trade unions have called upon government to increase social grants by 100 per cent.

In so doing, they gave government until next week Friday to have responded to their concerns, which they said if addressed, would help alleviate some of the financial challenges faced by the nation.

They urged government to give workers a chance to voice their concerns and address them accordingly.

The unions stated that they were willing to meet with government and be part of the solution through sharing ideas about allocation of resources.

The unions, led by the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA), yesterday delivered petitions to four government departments, including the Deputy Prime Minister’s office, which is responsible for grants.

The departments were the prime minister’s office and DPM’s office, ministries of labour and social security, and commerce, industry and trade.  

Despite exceeding the limited number of people allowed to march without permission from the municipal council, the march proceeded as petitions were delivered in all government ministries without any challenges.

The numbers grew as they proceeded to other ministries. In as much as there was a minor clash between marchers and some police officers, the petitions were delivered rather peacefully.

Decrying the increasing cost of commodities and services, in particular fuel and bread, the unions called upon government to increase the orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) grant from E2 500 to E4 000 per learner.

TUCOSWA Secretary General Mduduzi Gina, who delivered the petition received by the Principal Secretary, Melusi Masuku, said this would ensure that there were sufficient provisions in schools.   

Gina said by increasing the OVC grant, the country’s education system would take its rightful place and save the economy from total collapse.

He said the current amount allocated for each learner was insufficient to cater for the actual cost of their education.

He stated that schools with a higher enrolment of OVC were unable to provide adequate teaching tools and materials for learners.  

The unions further stated that the elderly grant should also be increased to E1 500 monthly from E500 per month.

He said the grant currently paid to the elderly made it difficult for them to make ends meet.
“Since the elderly are the main sector of our society, their proper upkeep becomes very important. A country that neglects its elderly population attracts a curse,” he said.

Serious

Gina said government’s lack of a concrete action in improving the situation was a serious call for concern.  

He said if government failed to implement robust solutions to improve the economy, the country would experience a deep economic crisis and the increase in prices of food and services would continue.

Further, he said operating mines in Eswatini was likely to save the crippling economy so long as the profits would be allocated to the state.

“Profits from natural resources should benefit Emaswati,” he said.
TUCOSWA first SG Winile Mlotsa, during a petition delivery at the ministry of labour and social security, decried what she described as a serious violation of the fundamental trade union rights by government.

Mlotsa stated that they were troubled by the fact that the minimum wage in the country was still way below E3 500.  

“We are concerned about your response to the textile workers; that they are happy with the E12 per hour earnings, which they had proved they were unhappy with especially in the rising cost of living,” she said.

Mlotsa wondered if the delay in distribution of student allowances and scholarships would ever come to an end.

She called on the ministry to urge the private sector to give better salaries to workers to enable them to increase their buying power, which would enhance economy circulation.

Tertiary

Also, she called upon government to declare a plan on scholarships and education of tertiary students.

Still on minimum wage, Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA) President Wonder Mkhonza said textile workers struggled to even buy decent grocery items.

According to Mkhonza, there were industries that had lower wages than the textile workers.
He said a decent monthly grocery for a single person cost E1 700 while the minimum wage was E1 000.

Mkhonza wondered where government thought workers would get the rest of the funds for other basic commodities.

He said it was high time government considered increasing the minimum wage.

 

We will continue with marches and defy minister Simelane - Bheki Mamba TUCOSWA president

By Eugene Dube, Swati Newsweek, 27 July, 2022

SOURCE

 

MBABANE: Bheki Mamba, the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA)president said they will now march in the streets of Eswatini without getting permission from Minister Prince Simelane.

Mamba said these remarks outside cabinet offices in Mbabane City today where they delivered a petition and complained about the ongoing economic crisis.

Mamba said, “The price of petrol and bread is very high now. Life has become very expensive.”

He added, “Let it be known that from now onwards we will march without getting permission from Minister Simelane,” Mamba said.

Eswatini has been rocked in recent months by periodic protests calling for wider political reforms in Africa’s last absolute monarchy.

At the height of the protest in 2021, Eswatini Housing and Development Minister Prince Simelane banned all protest in a bid to quell the uprising.

The Minister is on record saying, “Due to the spate of violent cases during protests, I have stopped all city and town municipals from issuing permits to hold protests.”

 

Police June 2022 secret report reveals: Over R400,000.00 public monies disappeared at Pension Fund.

By Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 26 July 2022

SOURCE

 

MBABANE: Bhekithemba Mamba, the Benefits Manager at the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) reported to the police after the disappearance of over four hundred thousand Rands (R400,000.00) within the public entity.

This is contained in a bundle of police secret State documents that expose sabotaged reported fraud cases involving high profile people with alleged links to Mswati.

An independent investigation conducted by this Swaziland News uncovered that on or around 30th June 2022, Bhekithemba Mamba, the Benefits Manager within the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) reported the disappearance of a collective amount of R415,857.65, the names of the suspects were provided but the police Executive Command systematically sabotaged the investigations.

It has been disclosed that under normal circumstances, when a case of fraud is reported, it is immediately handed over to the Police Fraud Department, however, cases of alleged fraud and corruption within the Pension Fund are scrutinized by senior police officers to ascertain if those involved are not closer to the King.

A questionnaire was sent to Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, the Police Spokesperson, however, she had not responded at the time of compiling this report.

Reached for comments, Sibongile Mazibuko, a member of the Swaziland Pensioners Association (SPA) Board of Trustees said looting has become a culture in eSwatini.

“It has become a norm for high profile people entrusted with public funds, those who loot and share the money with the King are not arrested. Millions have disappeared at the Pension Fund and other entities, only those who loot for themselves get arrested,” she said.

Reached for comments on Tuesday morning, Elkan Makhanya, the Pension Fund Spokesperson asked for more time to consult and verify the information with the relevant officers, however, he had not responded at the time of compiling this report.

“Morning Zweli, am currently in a meeting. May I come back to you before close of business today (Tuesday 26 July). I will need to verify this information with the relevant officers,” said the Pension Fund Spokesperson.

Reached for comments, Mduduzi ‘M’agawugawu’ Simelane, the President of the Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) said only those who did not know what happened during the time of Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini, the then Pension Fund CEO could be taken by surprise. 

“That institution is a milking cow for the regime and its elites, Comrade NNLC President long raised the alarm. Only the Nation can save their money in that institution. Let us stand up together, the country is burning in official corruption,” said the SWALIMO President.

 

Media freedom in eSwatini declines further as Swaziland News and editor announced as terrorists

By Aphiwe Kunene, Biz Community, 25 July 2022

SOURCE

 

Freedom of expression in Eswatini is further declining as Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini has announced that online news publication Swaziland News and its editor Zweli Dlamini are ‘terrorists’.

Prime Minister Dlamini published the declaration in early July in terms of Eswatini’s Suppression of Terrorism Act.

Swaziland News

Swaziland News is an independent online newspaper established in 2015 that seeks to provide uncensored insight of what is happening in the Kingdom of Eswatini. The publication commands a great following with over 49,000 thousand followers on Twitter and 222,000 thousand followers on its Facebook page.

Its editor has immediately hit back, saying this is another attack on media freedom in Eswatini.

“This declaration will not affect the operation of the Swaziland News because it is registered in South Africa and has not been proscribed in South Africa and the world at large,” says Dlamini.

Afraid for his life, Dlamini fled to South Africa in 2018 because of a series of government authority intimidation and harassment and later the banning of Swaziland News under Eswatini’s Registration of Books and Newspapers Act.

After fleeing, he registered and set up his online publication in South Africa and has joined the Press Council of SA, a self-regulatory body which monitors media conduct.

“Where there is dictatorship, the media become the first victim because the media is the voice of the people. So, when dictators want to silence the people they censor the media because they want to shut down the voice of the people,” says Dlamini.

A reputation of suppressing rights

Eswatini, the last absolute monarch in Africa has a reputation for suppressing the rights to freedom of expression and of the press with apparent impunity, although protest action has increased over the past two years.

In 2014, The Nation editor, Bheki Makhubu, and human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko were convicted of contempt of court for having written articles that were critical of the regime and the then chief justice.

They were sentenced to two years’ imprisonment but were released after 15 months following mounting international pressure.

Pro-democracy demonstrations

Over recent months, much of Swaiziland News’ content has been strongly critical of the eSwatini authorities, particularly the security forces. Much of the coverage deals with how pro-democracy movements are being treated.

“Eswatini is known by the world for violating human rights, it is not democratic, it is ruled by an absolute monarch. We as the media have an obligation to report on what is happening on the ground without censoring ourselves,” says Dlamini.

In July of 2021, the eruption of violent pro-democracy demonstrations in Eswatini led to protestors including journalists, facing arbitrary arrests, intimidation, torture and the removal of means to disseminate information as they tried to report the ongoing conflict on the ground.

During these protests, New Frame journalists Magnificent Mndebele and Cebelihle Mbuyisa were abducted, detained and allegedly tortured by security forces in the country merely for doing their work as journalists.

Continuous decline of media freedom

According to the 2022 edition of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index, which assesses the state of journalism in 180 countries and territories, Eswatini ranks 131 of 180 in terms of media freedom.

In March 2021 a submission by Human Rights Watch (HRW) also found that eSwatini ranks among the lowest in the world in terms of countries’ level of media freedom.

While section 24 of Eswatini’s constitution makes provision for freedom of expression, journalists are hamstrung by state interference and harassment.

Though a legislative framework exists to protect media freedom, the opposite is true according to HRW.

Contrary to the Constitution

The Campaign for Free Expression (CFE) in a statement has expressed strong concern at the declaration and called on the government to revoke it.

“This declaration is not only contrary to the Constitution of Eswatini, but also international instruments which Eswatini is party to, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the AU Protocol on the Media, the 1991 Windhoek Declaration and the 2021 update, Windhoek +30,” read the statement.

During a recent United Nations Human Rights Council universal periodic review of Eswatini, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs of Eswatini Pholile Shakantu said The Public Order Act of 2017 fully protected and allowed citizens to enjoy the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. However these rights are not absolute.

“Like all other rights, these rights were not absolute – common limitations and boundaries applied. Inciting violence, riots, violent gatherings, burning and destroying of public or private property was illegal and was not protected by freedom of speech or assembly,” she said during the sitting.

This article was originally published by frayintermedia, written by Aphiwe Kunene.

 

EU helping emaSwati children to dream again, reshape their future

European Union External Action website, 25 July 2022

SOURCE

 

In the run-up to the Transforming Education Summit at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September 2022, European Union (EU) Ambassador to Eswatini, Dessislava Choumelova, accompanied by the UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Mohamed Fall, visited Emthonjeni High School in the Manzini region on 21 July 2022 where she met and interacted with pupils who are benefitting from an EU-funded project which aims, amongst other things, at improving access to education through school reintegration, remedial education and drop-out risk reduction targeting children who have lost parents or guardians as a result of COVID-19.

The two-year project, implemented by UNICEF and other partners in several other schools located in four constituencies in the Manzini region, is also reaching out to pregnant adolescents and adolescent parents, adolescent boys and adolescents with disabilities who dropped out of school to go back to class.

Overall, the projects seeks to reintegrate more than 200 needy pupils, in the targeted schools, who have dropped out of school either due to pregnancy or loss of parents/guardians as a result of COVID-19. At Emthonjeni High School alone, so far 10 pupils, who had dropped out of school as a result of a myriad challenges at home including lack of financial support, are already back in class and reshaping their future, thanks to the project.

“We are supporting this project because it aligns with EU values. It is very important for pregnant girls and other vulnerable children to come back to school to continue with their education. This is all about transforming education and helping these pupils to dream again and reshape their future,” said EU Ambassador Choumelova.

Emthonjeni High principal, Thokozile Dlamini, paid tribute to the EU for its support, saying the project has reached out to very needy children who had dropped out of school but are now back in class.

“Many of our pupils are facing serious challenges at home including lack of money to continue with education. That is why some of them have even dropped out of school. But thanks to the EU support, we have been able to bring these pupils, who would otherwise be at home, back to class,” Dlamini said. The principal herself has also played a role in ensuring that pupils from poor backgrounds do remain in class despite their parents not paying school fees.

The visit also took the Ambassador to Baylor Clinic in Mbabane where she was shown how an ECHO-funded project was increasing COVID-19 vaccine uptake and caring for children and adolescents living with HIV. In both centres, EU support was well appreciated by the beneficiaries.

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