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Friday 28 June 2024

Swaziland Newsletter No. 833 – 28 June 2024

 

 Swaziland Newsletter No. 833 – 28 June 2024

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.


Drugs crisis: patients flock to baphalali clinics

By Mthunzi Mdluli, Times of eSwatini, 26 June 2024

SOURCE 

MBABANE: The shortage of drugs in government health facilities has led to patients flocking to the Eswatini Baphalali Red Cross Society clinics for medical help.

As a result, the organisation’s three clinics, being Mahwalala, Silele and Sigombeni, are now faced with rapid stock-outs, due to the influx of patients. Pholile Mngomezulu, a nurse based at Mahwalala Clinic, speaking during a breakfast meeting at Mountain View Hotel, said the new challenge faced by the clinics is the need for more funding to meet the people’s medical needs. Mngomezulu said inasmuch as government provided subvention to the organisation, the drugs shortage issue had forced a lot of patients across the country to reach out to their clinics for treatment.

“In future, we would appreciate more funding to our organisation, in as far as medical supply is concerned, in order to assist those in need of medical help,” she said. The shortage of adequate medical supplies has crippled the health facilities, resulting in patients dying, while others who have the means, resort to buying medication from pharmacies. The Auditor General, Timothy Matsebula, recently saw the establishment of a forensic audit into the purchase of medical drugs, which was conducted by Funduzi Forensic Services. It found that over E1 billion worth of expired medical drugs were sitting in government health facilities, waiting to be destroyed. It also found that certain suppliers were ripping government off, while colluding with government officials. During the breakfast meeting, it was also discussed that Baphalali clinics were affected by inadequate staffing concerns.

It was said this led to the limited staff being forced to work overtime. Mngomezulu cited the World Health Organisation (WHO) principle, stating that the nurse-to-patient ratio is supposed to be one is to 10 per day. “Each of our clinics attend to 120 clients a day and 3 600 per month. at least 43 200 patients are received by each of the three clinics. This means the organisation attends to 129 600 clients per year. This is too much work for the few nurses we have,” she explained.

To read more of this report, click here

http://www.times.co.sz/news/145784-drugs-crisis-patients-flock-to-baphalali-clinics.html

 

SABC presenter Oliver Dickson blasts King Mswati for attending President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inauguration while refusing to allow democracy in eSwatini

By Zweli Martin Dlamini, Swaziland News, 23 June, 2024

SOURCE 

MBABANE: Oliver Dickson, a Presenter of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) SaFm radio came hard on King Mswati for attending the recent inauguration for President Cyril Ramaphosa, while refusing to allow democratic reforms in eSwatini.

The Presenter made a brief comment on air last week, expressing concerns about the invitation of the King to attend such events that are a product of democracy.

“King Mswati was there watching all this, he was even smiling”, said the Presenter.

Other listeners called SaFm questioning why the King was invited to participate in the democratic inauguration of the South African President considering his human rights violation record.

King Mswati,an absolute Monarch, was among the Guests during re-elected South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday, he was sitting next to the re-elected President.

Eswatini is an absolute Monarchy, political parties are banned from participating in elections while human rights defenders are arrested, tortured and killed for demanding democracy.

Thulani Maseko, a highly regarded human rights lawyer, was assassinated on the 21st January 2023, a few hours after King Mswati threatened those calling for democracy.

The lawyer who was the Chairperson of the pro-democracy MultiStakeholder Forum(MSF) was killed while facilitating a political dialogue as part of peaceful means to resolve the political crisis in eSwatini.

But eSwatini pro-democracy groups and international human rights organizations are demanding an international independent credible investigation into the death of the lawyer.

King Mswati III: Photo: Twitter



 King Mswati III dons watch worth over R16m at Ramaphosa inauguration

By Faizel Patel, The Citizen (South Africa), 20 June 2024

SOURCE 

King Mswati wore a Jacob & Co. Brilliant Skeleton Tourbillon Ruby watch with green straps

Swazi King Mswati III showed off his lavish lifestyle at President Cyril Ramaphosa’s inauguration donning a watch worth millions of rands.

The King and his wife Inkhosikati LaFogiyane were allocated seats next to Ramaphosa and Chief Justice Raymond Zondo during the inauguration in Pretoria on Wednesday.

Ramaphosa was sworn in for a second term in the newly formed Government of National Unity (GNU).

While King Mswati III donned his traditional regalia, it was the timepiece on his wrists that caught all the attention.

The king wore a Jacob & Co. Brilliant Skeleton Tourbillon Ruby watch with green straps. The watch is estimated to cost at least $900,000 (about R16,180,695).

According to SuperWatchMan, the Brilliant Skeleton Tourbillon Ruby watch, is “a watch originally made for women. The features of the timepiece are a skeletonized dial with a flying tourbillon leaf hands movement”.

It also has a hand-set 18k rose gold case with baguette-cut rubies and an inner case with baguette white diamonds, on a green alligator strap.

The 55-year-old King has been widely criticised for his lavish lifestyle while nearly a third of the 1.2-million Eswatini population lives below the poverty line.

In April, Mswati’s mode of transport to a working visit to South Africa was the Airbus 340-300 aircraft, bought in 2018 from Taiwan by the king as a 50th birthday gift to himself. It cost a whopping R2.6 billion.

“It was customised from a commercial aircraft into an ultra-luxurious flying palace,” the Swaziland People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) President Vudi Shongwe said.

According to Shongwe, the plane features a living area, meeting/dining area, a private bedroom and bathroom amenities for the king, among other features.

The king does not take kindly to dissent in Africa’s last absolute monarchy, Eswatini. 

One misplaced word in Eswatini can lead straight to prison and the media is not allowed to report criticism of the monarch, according to AFP.

 

Workers describe appalling conditions at eSwatini mine

By Cebelihle Mbuyisa, GroundUp, 21 June 2024

SOURCE

Workers at a green chert mine in the ecologically sensitive Malolotja Nature Reserve in Eswatini say they work in appalling and unsafe conditions.

Workers accuse foreign management at the mine, owned by Taiwanese national Michael Lee, of racism and abuse.

One worker died and five suffered severe burns in an explosion last year. The workers allege mismanagement caused the blast.

Just before 5pm on 30 November 2023, a blast at a green chert mine inside the ecologically sensitive Malolotja Nature Reserve killed one worker and left five with serious burns.

Mbhekeni Mncina was 24 years old when he died. His father, Jabulani Mncina, says he still has not received an official report about the circumstances leading to his son’s death from Michael Lee Enterprises, despite being promised one by the mine’s communications manager Makhosonkhe Dlamini.

GroundUp also asked several people in top management for the report.

Thembinkosi Zwane, 26, who was injured in the blast and spent four months recuperating and is still receiving treatment for his wounds at the Mbabane Clinic, told GroundUp what he remembers.

He said that afternoon, even though their knock-off time was approaching, they were ordered to pack explosives into holes drilled into the rock face. They would normally load several plastic-encased packages of explosive and push it down the hole with a plastic pipe or a wooden pole. That afternoon neither the pole nor the pipe were doing the job well. The impatient supervisor ordered them to use a metal bar, usually used for digging. On contact with the rock, there was a spark, and in a split second a blast accompanied by flames.

There was a wheelbarrow containing more explosives behind Mbhekeni. As he tried to flee, he tripped over it and fell.

“When they took us to a lorry so we could be rushed to hospital, we noticed that Mbhekeni’s clothes had burned into his skin,” said Zwane.

They were initially taken to the government hospital in Piggs Peak.

“When I visited him in hospital, he was completely covered in bandages. Only his nose was exposed; and was itself burned,” said Mbhekeni’s father.

Mbhekeni lived for 14 days in what his father says was excruciating pain. He died on Thursday 14 December 2023 and was buried on Saturday 23 December early in the morning, as is the custom in rural Eswatini.

None of the workers we spoke to had received any training to do the jobs they were doing.

Nkondlo Douglas Masango says he was the official blaster at the mine until he was fired in April. In a telephonic interview he said on the day of the explosion he was sick and had been taken to the clinic in Nkhaba. Before he left, he was asked to blast because they were in haste to get a specific quantity of stone.

“But I turned them down. First, because as a rule I did not blast after 4pm; and, also, because I was sick,” said Masango.

“I later learned that the Chinese workers had ordered Mncina’s boy [Mbhekeni] and the others to load explosives into holes. This is troubling because these Chinese guys do not have the licence for blasting. It should have never been done in my absence,” said Masango.

Police officers from Piggs Peak visited Masango after the incident. “I told them everything and they took a statement,” he said.

A worker, who we have decided to keep anonymous for his safety, says there are about 55 Eswatini workers at the site and that they are treated with disdain and their safety is completely disregarded.

He said nothing has changed since the November blast. He claims the vehicle that transports them on the steep mountain to the mining site is unroadworthy. No vehicle stays on site in case of an accident. He alleged there have been incidents of physical abuse of workers.

“We are not human beings to them,” he said.

To read more of this report, click here

https://groundup.org.za/article/workers-speak-out-against-malolotja-mine/

  

No food, pupils walk 14-19km to school, some collapse

By Siboniso Nkambule, Times of eSwatini, 24 June 2024

SOURCE 

MBABANE: In the remote community of Makhamatfo, nestled deep within the Gege Constituency, every sunrise marks, not just the beginning of a new day, but a daunting journey for its young souls.

Every morning, children as young as six years old embark on a journey that tests both their physical endurance and their hunger for education. Some travel at least 14 kilometres, while others travel over 19 kilometres by foot, to receive an education in different schools within the constituency. For these pupils, education is not just a privilege, but a pursuit fraught with challenges that unfold with each step. They are exposed to scorching heat and sometimes relentless downpours, while they persevere along dusty roads and rocky terrains. Despite their unwavering determination, not all who begin this journey reach the school gates. It was said some succumb to exhaustion along the journey, while some collapse during morning assemblies, due to fatigue. For others, the Makhamatfo residents said the burden of distance became too heavy to bear, forcing some pupils into a heart-breaking decision, to prioritise survival over education.

Despite this, the community still believes education is the key to a brighter future. The schools attended by the pupils include Mlindzini Secondary, Mshengu High, Mashobeni High and Vulamehlo Primary School, among others. Reaching all these schools requires determination and endurance for the pupils. During a visit by this publication to the community, this reporter got first-hand experience of some of the challenges faced by the pupils daily. Mhlahlweni Chiefdom Acting Indvuna Albert Vilakati said the absence of a nearby school is a challenge for the community. Vilakati said their children woke up as early as 5am to travel to school and return late in the afternoon. He said they engaged the previous Members of Parliament (MPs) numerous times on the matter, but nothing had changed. He mentioned that the umphakatsi allocated land for the construction of a school in 2004 and was approved by the Ministry of Education and Training officials, who visited the area. He shared that they had not received any progress report.

In an interview with this publication, one resident shared that they were unable to send their children to do home chores during the week, because they were always exhausted and returned home very late. “Travelling the long distance affects the children’s performance at school. Teachers say the children are always tired and fail to concentrate in class,” the resident said.

Another resident shared that their children were exposed to severe weather conditions while going to school. The resident stated that the community does not even have a preschool, for their children to access early childhood education. According to the resident, they are forced to enrol their children in school when they are old enough to withstand the journey. Additionally, the resident explained that as a community, they wanted their children to receive the best education; but the circumstances did not permit them.

The resident also mentioned that, despite worrying about the long journey, they also had to worry about their children’s safety, while they travelled along the dusty terrains. The residents also shared that the community did not have nearby shops, as they also had to travel long distances to get the services they needed. On the same note, Mhlahlweni Bucopho Sibongile Kunene, said the pupils struggled as they travel by foot to reach the different schools. Mlindzini Secondary School Head teacher Enerst Mabaso concurred with Kunene’s assertion, saying pupils enrolled in his school travelled long distances by foot.

Mabaso said whenever the pupils arrived at school, they were extremely exhausted and some even collapsed during the morning assemblies. He said a number of the pupils travel the long journeys hungry, thus they try by all means to provide food in the school. “The school is in debt. We visit shops with nothing, because we mostly rely on the orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) grants. If we have not received the grant, we buy the food on credit, so that the pupils have something to eat,” Mabaso said. 

To read more of this report, click here

http://www.times.co.sz/news/145747-no-food-pupils-walk-14-19km-to-school-some-collapse.html


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