Swazi Media Commentary: 40/40 celebration

Showing posts with label 40/40 celebration. Show all posts

Monday, 12 March 2018

50/50 CELEBRATION CASH DRIVE STARTS

A drive to raise cash to pay for the 50/50 celebrations to mark the anniversary Swaziland’s independence from Great Britain and the autocratic King Mswati III’s birthday is underway in the kingdom.

Included in this are advertisements appearing in local media asking for contributions from ‘the business community, institutions and individuals’ of up to E1 million and above.

In Swaziland seven in ten of the estimated population have income less than the equivalent of US$2 per day, which is about E24.

It has already been announced that a budget of the equivalent of US$1.7 million has been earmarked by the government for the celebration due in April 2018.

The 50/50 celebrations are a re-run of the 40/40 celebrations from 10 years ago. Then as now a similar call was put out for funding. Organisers had expected sponsors to contribute E0.8 million but in fact only E104,000 was given.

King Mswati who is sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch called on ordinary Swazi people to send him their own donations.

The Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by the King reported at the time that the King wanted to revive the kwetfula custom in which the nation submits ‘gifts and donations to Royalty as this is the indigenous way of life for the Swazi people’.

The newspaper said, ‘His Majesty said such donations were not bribery to Royalty. He was speaking at Lozitha Palace when receiving gifts and pledges from the business community and individuals for use during the 40/40 double celebration.’

In what is a deeply corrupt kingdom, the King was anxious to dispel concerns that these ‘gifts’ might actually be bribes. The Observer quoted the King, ‘“Even if one was accused of having committed a certain offence, we would treat the offense and donation on different merits.”

‘His Majesty said people should not misinterpret those who donate to Royalty as bribing or campaigning for certain political appointments.’

The Observer reported, ‘The King said from time immemorial, Swazis had adopted a way of life by which a farmer who had harvested from his crops would separate a portion to donate to the King.’

It added, ‘His Majesty said more donations were still welcome,’ adding in siSwazti ‘donations to Royalty would never be stopped’.

The budget for 40/40 overran by at least E32.6 million (about US$5 million at the then exchange rate). E17 million was budgeted but it ended up costing ‘at least’ E50.2 million. The exact figure is uncertain. This was revealed in the ‘Comprehensive Project Completion Report’ (CPCR), written by Luke Mswane, chair of the double celebrations committee that oversaw the 40/40 celebration.

Thursday, 8 February 2018

50/50: LEARN LESSON OF PAST DISASTER

People in Swaziland are being prepared for the double celebration of King Mswati’s 50^th birthday and the 50^th anniversary of the kingdom’s independence from Great Britain.

This is being marketed as the 50/50 celebrations. But memories are short. Ten years ago similar 40/40 celebrations were marred by incompetence and an enormous spending overrun. It happened at a time of massive cuts in public spending as Swaziland’s economy spun out of control.

This year (2018) celebrations have been planned for 19 April. A budget of the equivalent of US$1.7 million has been given by the government. A 13-member committee has been formed to mobilise funding for the event.

Home Affairs Minister Princess Tsandzile said in September 2017 the committee was made up of chief executives of private companies and financial institutions.

The APA News agency reported at the time, ‘The committee will develop its own terms of reference and will mobilise resources of any kind. It will also be guided by the ministry in terms of the time frame within which it is expected to operate.’

Princess Tsandzile added that government had also put in place committees to work on different issues such as raising awareness, decorations, entertainment and other issues.

King Mswati III rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch. Political parties are banned from taking part in elections and the King appoints the Prime Minister and top ministers. Seven in ten of the estimated 1.4 million population live in abject poverty with incomes of less than US$2 per day.

In 2008 the cost of the celebrations overran by E32.6 million (about US$5 million at the then exchange rate). E17 million was budgeted but it ended up costing ‘at least’ E50.2 million. The exact figure is uncertain.

The celebrations took place at a time when Swaziland was under the pressure of savage financial cuts, imposed by the International Monetary Fund, after years of mismanagement of the economy by successive Swazi governments – all handpicked by King Mswati.

The budhet overrun was revealed in the ‘Comprehensive Project Completion Report’ (CPCR), written by Luke Mswane, chair of the double celebrations committee that oversaw the 40/40 celebration that took place on one day – 6 September 2008.

The CPCR highlighted a catalogue of mismanagement. Next to no time was made available to set a proper budget for the events and it became impossible to keep track of the money. At least E1.8 million was spent on capital projects without any formal written authority.

The CPCR also stated that E500,000 was budgeted for labour costs, but overtime paid to civil servants amounted to E5 million.

Tellingly, since the world was led to believe that King Mswati’s joy at his 40th birthday and the independence anniversary was shared by his subjects, the CPCR report stated that there was actually a lack of interest in the event and it was impossible to attract sponsors. They had expected sponsors to pay E0.8 million but in fact only E104,000 was given.

At the celebration, the King said, ‘I am aware that the world might be wondering as to why we are so excited in celebrating 40 years of our independence. The answer is simple, we are celebrating our nationhood and also thanking God almighty for preserving us as a nation. We are celebrating the unity, peace, stability and progress that we have enjoyed for the past 40 years.’

In the week before the celebrations police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters engaged in a two-day strike for democracy.

In his report, the CPCR showed government made many mistakes in organising the celebration. The project was only launched at the end of October 2007, less than a year before the celebrations. As a result there was not enough time for proper planning and proper costing of all the activities and services that were going to be required before and during the celebrations. The report also listed problems that arose because nobody was sure on the rules governing purchasing goods and services for the celebrations.

Meanwhile, the 40/40 celebration proved to be a global public relations disaster for the King. Instead of praising King Mswati, the international media coverage of the event showed him as a man out of touch with his people. He was seen as selfish and greedy. It was estimated at the time that the celebration might have cost as much as US$10 million (about E70 million at the then exchange rate).

It was pointed out that while the King lived a lavish lifestyle with at least 13 palaces, fleets of top-of-the-range cars and a private jet, six out of ten of his subjects relied on international food aid and four in ten were moving from hunger to starvation. And Swaziland continued to have the highest rate of HIV infection in the world.

Richard Rooney

Wednesday, 6 September 2017

INDEPENDENCE: WHAT'S TO CELEBRATE?

It was 49 years ago on 6 September 1968 that Swaziland gained independence from Great Britain at a time of great optimism for the kingdom.

But that optimism was misplaced. What exactly does Swaziland have to celebrate today? The kingdom has the highest rate of HIV infection in the world, seven out of ten people are so abjectly poor they earn less than US$2 a day, six out of ten people need food aid from overseas and four in ten are so hungry they face starvation. Add to this the news from Forbes that that King Mswati III has a net wealth at one time estimated at US$ 200 million and you can see my point.

The King rules by decree (despite the introduction in 2006 of a new constitution), political parties are banned, the parliament has no real powers, the Prime Minister is selected by the King and not elected by the people.

Any legitimate protest against these conditions by the people is met by state force. Police routinely teargas protesters or fire water canon or rubber bullets at them.

Back in 1968, people hoped for so much more (no, expected so much more from independence). The New York Times reported (6 September 1968), ‘Swaziland achieves independence today with much brighter immediate prospects than the other two former British High Commission territories in south Africa. It is smaller (area 6,705 sq miles: population 400,000) than Botswana or Lesotho, but commands far greater natural resources and a robust foreign trade and payments surplus.

‘This is not to suggest that the Swazis lack problems. Their position as almost an island within South Africa would by itself insure long-range headaches. They currently enjoy political stability under the shrewd if traditional leadership of King Sobhuza II and the royalist Imbokodvo party of Prime Minister Mahkosini Dlamini.’

Swaziland was seen as a stable, peaceful country. Much of the credit for this was put at the feet of the then king, Sobhuza II.

The New York Times reported. ‘The 69-year-old King has been on the throne since 1921. He personifies his country: one foot in the past and the other in the future.

‘The king of the Swazis, once one of Africa’s great warring tribes, is equally at home in formal Western clothes or Mahia, the colourful national costume. He is reported to have about 170 wives and platoons of children. Statistics are sketchy, but the records do show that the king took his 50^th bride in 1933.’

The Financial Times, London, UK, reported, ‘If, then, today [1968] the King reigns supreme in this tiny country ... it is very largely because it was he, and not some populist movement, that provided the impetus, back in 1960, which set his country on the road to independence.

‘This is important, for it meant that the King and his men were able to a large extent to call the tune in their negotiations with the British Government – the one attempt to impose a Whitehall-inspired constitution in 1964 was very short lived. Furthermore, by being identified from the start with the ‘struggle’ for independence in the minds of the people, the Imbokodvo has been able to stay one jump ahead of any local opposition – notably the Pan-Africanist Ngwane National Liberatory Congress – and in the end to annihilate it.’

It was the control exerted over Swaziland by King Sobhuza that for many was the key to the stability in Swaziland.

The Financial Times pointed out that it is arguable that the Whites in Swaziland would not have been willing to abandon their demand for an entrenched representation in parliament without the influence of Sobhuza.

‘There can be little doubt that Swaziland’s Whites draw great comfort from the knowledge that a conservative monarch who makes little secret of his appreciation for the White’s continuing economic contribution to the country is in charge.’

It was generally recognised internationally that ‘democracy’ in Swaziland in 1968 had shortcomings. The Financial Times put it like this, ‘In theory, he [King Sobhuza II] is only a constitutional monarch, and as Head of State he will have to live with a Parliament consisting of a 12 man Senate and a 30-man House of Assembly. But, in practice, it is very difficult to see the legislature going against the king’s wishes; for in practically every sense it is the King’s Parliament. To start with, all 24 elected members in the Assembly belong to the Royalist Imbokodvo National Movement, founded in early 1964, and headed by Prince Makhosini Dlamini, a member of the Royal family and now Swaziland’s first Prime Minister.

‘Secondly, the King has the power to appoint six Senate members with the remainder being elected by the House of Assembly.

‘Thirdly, there is his influence in the Swazi National Council, the body of chiefs and elders through which kings have traditionally governed the Swazi nation. And as long as Swaziland retains its unitary tribal structure, the SNC is likely to remain an important body for it is here that the vast majority of the people will make their grievances immediately felt, which will then be transmitted via the king to parliament, rather than the other way round...’

History tells us that this confidence in Sobhuza was misplaced. In 1973, after the people of Swaziland freely elected members of parliament of whom he disapproved, the King abandoned the parliament, tore up the constitution and ruled by decree. Swaziland is still (technically, at least) ruled by this decree.

The total lack of democracy in Swaziland, the banning of political parties and the stripping of power from Parliament dates from 1973. Most of the kingdom’s present day shortcomings can be directly attributed to the crushing lack of democracy that stifled debate and penalised those who dare to have a view contrary to those of the ruling elite.

The lack of political sophistication in Swaziland was noted by the Financial Times, ‘the very lack of political sophistication in the country – no small reason for the King’s strong hold over its affairs – is likely to bolster this stability in the short term.’

Even in 1968 there were concerns about whether the people of Swaziland were being truly represented in Parliament. Elections in 1967 had seen the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress (NNLC) get 20 percent of the vote, but no seats.

The Financial Times reported with more foresight than it probably realised at the time, ‘Votes came mainly from the tiny, but growing, white-collar urban working class.

‘Moreover, with hindsight it is now apparent that the vote was not so much for the NNLC but against the Establishment, so that even if Dr Zwane [the NNLC leader] disappears from the scene, the forces which had been channelled through his party, will remain.’

Richard Rooney

Tuesday, 21 December 2010

KING’S CELEBRATION BLED MONEY

Nobody will be surprised to learn that the cost of celebrations in 2008 to glorify King Mswati III overran by E32.6 million (about US$5 million).

The so-called 40/40 celebration to mark both the king’s 40th birthday and the 40th anniversary of Swaziland’s independence from Great Britain were supposed to cost the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, E17 million but ended up costing ‘at least’ E50.2 million.

We have to say ‘at least’ because the sad truth is that nobody can be sure (or ever will be sure) exactly how much the extravaganza for the king cost.

The news of the massive waste of money is revealed just as Swaziland is reeling under the pressure of savage financial cuts, imposed by the International Monetary Fund, after years of mismanagement of the economy by successive Swazi governments – handpicked by King Mswati.

The massive waste has come to light in the ‘Comprehensive Project Completion Report’ (CPCR), written by Luke Mswane, chair of the double celebrations committee that oversaw the 40/40 celebration that took place on one day – 6 September 2008.

The CPCR highlights a catalogue of mismanagement. Next to no time was made available to set a proper budget for the events and it became impossible to keep track of the money. At least E1.8 million was spent on capital projects without any formal written authority.

The CPCR also states that E500 000 was budgeted for labour costs, but overtime paid to civil servants amounted to E5 million.

Tellingly, since the world was led to believe that King Mswati’s joy at his 40th birthday and the independence anniversary was shared by his subjects, Mswane’s report states that there was actually a lack of interest in the event and it was impossible to attract sponsors. They had expected sponsors to pay E0.8 million but in fact only E104,000 was given.

(At the celebration, the King said, ‘I am aware that the world might be wondering as to why we are so excited in celebrating 40 years of our independence. The answer is simple, we are celebrating our nationhood and also thanking God almighty for preserving us as a nation. We are celebrating the unity, peace, stability and progress that we have enjoyed for the past 40 years.’ Not for the first time the king showed he is completely out of touch with his subjects.)

In his report, Mswane showed how inept the government was in organising the celebration. The project was only launched at the end of October 2007, less than a year before the celebrations. As a result there was not enough time for proper planning and proper costing of all the activities and services that were going to be required before and during the celebrations. He also gave a list of problems that arose because nobody was sure on the rules governing purchasing goods and services for the celebrations.

I said back in 2008 that the 40/40 celebration had turned out to be a public relations disaster for the king. Instead of praising Mswati, the international media coverage of the event showed him as a man out of touch with his people. He was seen as selfish and greedy. It was estimated at the time that the bash might have cost as much as US$10 million (about E70 million at the then exchange rate). It was pointed out that while the king wallows in this wealth, seven out of ten of his subjects earned less than one dollar a day. Six out of ten relied on international food aid and four in ten were moving from hunger to starvation. And of course, Swaziland continues to have the highest rate of HIV infection in the world.

It was known to be a public relations disaster then: now we know it was a financial disaster too.

Saturday, 29 August 2009

IS SWAZI KING TO GET PRIVATE JET?

Here we go again; the Swazi Government is considering buying an airplane for King Mswati III.

Parliamentarians are saying the plane will be for the ‘nation’, but as we know in Swaziland the king holds everything ‘in trust’ for the nation, so in effect it will be his to do with as he pleases.

The idea was aired at a sitting of the Ministry of Public Works and Transport portfolio committee on Thursday (27 August 2009).

The minister Ntuthuko Dlamini told the committee, ‘Let us consider buying our own aircraft.’ The committee was discussing various concerns over the perceived inadequacies of airline travel to and from Swaziland.

Swaziland still hasn’t recovered from the last aborted attempt to buy a jet for King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

In 2002 the then Swazi Government secretly and illegally entered into a contract to buy a private jet for the king. When news leaked out and the outcry travelled around the world, the government was forced to abandon the contract and lost a E28m (3.6 million US dollars at current exchange rates) deposit.

In February 2009 Finance Minister Majozi Sithole promised that the deposit for the jet was to be returned to Swaziland with interest. As far as I know this hasn’t happened, and personally I’m not holding my breath that it ever will.

News that the Swaziland Government is even discussing the possibility of buying a jet plane will cause dismay throughout the world.

The king wastes money all time while 70 percent of his subjects live in abject poverty.

King Mswati has been under heavy criticism this past month after news leaked in the international media (but was suppressed in Swaziland) that five of the king’s 13 wives had been on a global shopping spree, spending at least six million dollars.

In April 2009 he bought 20 top-of –the-range armoured Mercedes cars at an estimated cost of 250,000 dollars each. Last year he spent about 10 million dollars on a 40/40 celebration to mark his own birthday and the 40^th anniversary of Swaziland’s independence from Britain and a further four million dollars sending eight of his wives on a shopping trip to Dubai.

The fact that the Swazi Government may entertain the purchase of the plane is evidence of how out of touch with reality its members are. Swaziland is bracing itself for a reduction of at least a half in Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) receipts this year which will result in vicious cuts in public spending in a kingdom that already has threadbare health and education services.

The Swazi Government needs to make a clear statement confirming that the idea to buy the plane was just a bit of kite flying and no such purchase will in fact be made.

Monday, 17 August 2009

SWAZI KING ‘HIDES FROM SUBJECTS’

Mfomfo Nkhambule, the Swazi dissident who was forced to stop writing in the Times of Swaziland after King Mswati III threatened to close down the newspaper has returned to his attack on the king.

Writing on his blog Nkhambule criticises King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, for being detached from his subjects and not giving them anything in return for their loyalty and what Nkhambule calls their ‘unconditional love’.

Nkhambule says, ‘It is a one way traffic. The king has made it quite clear what he wants from his subjects: It is peace and stability of the kingdom at whatever cost.

‘The most disheartening development in Swaziland is that the king stays in a palace surrounded by a brick wall 2m high, with no building higher than the wall. The king does not know how many Swazis are outside the palace. He knows the Swazis that are allowed entry to the palace. If a Swazi has never been to the palace then he is not an asset to the king because he does not exist and will never exist in the king’s list.’

He goes on, ‘Therefore the king’s interests are bound to be those of his family and to a certain extent those of his messengers. It is no surprise then that on the year of the 40/40 celebrations some of the queens boarded a chartered jet for some shopping in Asia. Now this is becoming a routine, as not long ago (about a week to be precise) another delegation of about 50 (including some of the queens) got some visas for USA. It is no surprise again that they have a fine taste of style and the king has to look after their interests because his eyes can see as far as the walls of the palace.’

He says King Mswati has told the Swaziland media he will close them down if they report on the queens’ latest trip. Certainly there have been reports on the Swaziland Solidarity Network forum about the queens’ trip but I’ve seen nothing in the official media in Swaziland.

Nkhambule gained international attention for his articles that appeared each Monday in the Times and were largely critical of Swaziland’s ruling elite, including the king. He was hauled in by Swaziland’s state police and threatened with torture if he continued to criticise the king. He was later dropped from his traditional regiment, threatened with banishment from his homeland, and his family was threatened because he refused to be silenced.

To read Nkhambule’s full blog click here.

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