Swazi Media Commentary: Lubombo

Showing posts with label Lubombo. Show all posts

Thursday, 3 September 2020

Hunger continues to sweep across Swaziland, one third of population badly hit

Hunger continues to grip Swaziland (eSwatini) and the European Union has donated 1.4 million euros (US$1.6 million) to help feed up to 94,000 families in the coming year.

The money will be used to support the World Wood Programme’s (WFP) efforts in rural and urban areas of Manzini, Lubombo and Hhohho regions.

Cash will be transferred monthly to destitute families. About one third of the kingdom’s estimated 1.1 million people are reported to be vulnerable to hunger. Poor crops and the effects of coronavirus (COVID-19) are mostly blamed for the situation.

Cissy Byenkya, WFP’s Head of Office in Swaziland said, ‘This timely contribution will help us address deepening food insecurity and malnutrition in children, particularly orphans, pregnant and breast-feeding women, and people living with HIV and AIDS.’

Hunger is reportedly sweeping across Swaziland. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in a report published in August 2020 said about 366,000 people faced ‘high acute food insecurity’ in the coming months.

The IPC analysis was undertaken for rural and urban areas in Swaziland; comprising of four rural districts: (Manzini, Shiselweni, Lubombo and Hhohho); and two urban districts; (Hhohho urban and Manzini urban). At present, 32 percent of the rural population (292,794 people) and 17 percent of the urban population (37,424 people) are in crisis.

Compared with 2019, the kingdom’s food insecurity situation has deteriorated.

IPC reported The COVID-19 pandemic had compounded the food insecurity situation, leading to an estimated 37 percent of households with reduced income and 26.9 percent with reported loss of employment.

Monday, 24 August 2020

Hunger sweeping across Swaziland and is going to get worse, new report suggests

Nearly one in three people in Swaziland (eSwatini) face severe hunger in the coming months and the situation is getting worse.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is only partly to blame. Before the virus struck in March 2020 the kingdom already faced a crisis because of poor harvests. But, the impact on jobs of the command by King Mswati III, the kingdom’s absolute monarch, to partially shut down the economy because of the virus has hit hard.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in a report just published said about 366,000 (32 percent of the population) faced ‘high acute food insecurity’ in the coming months.

Compared with 2019, the kingdom’s food insecurity situation has deteriorated.

‘High prevalence of HIV and AIDS and its effects on the productivity of most rural households in the country continue to pose a great threat to a large proportion (26 percent) of the rural population. Lower than normal rainfall, coupled with a high prevalence of disease, during the production season negatively affected food production and availability.’

It added the kingdom had recorded a shortfall in maize production of 71.93 metric tons to meet the 162.32 metric tons domestic requirement for the staple crop. Planned import requirements amount to 61.7 metric tons, with an uncovered food gap of 10.22 metric tons.

The report stated, ‘COVID-19 restrictions continue to disrupt food supply chains in the country, negatively impacting food availability. Humanitarian assistance programmes have been initiated to provide cash and food relief to ease the COVID 19-induced food challenges.

‘The greater impact of the pandemic weighs heavily on the rural poor due to the disruption of the informal sector – the mainstay of rural livelihood.’

Monday, 13 May 2019

Swaziland schoolchildren learn under trees or in tents as government runs out of money

Schoolchildren in Swaziland /eSwatini are being taught under trees or in tents instead of classrooms because the government is broke and cannot afford new buildings.

Some schools are relying on the Red Cross to supply tents, the Times of Swaziland reported on Monday (13 May 2019).

It reported, ‘This is as a result of the lack of classrooms, which are supposed to be constructed through the Ministry of Education and Training.’

Lubombo Regional Education Officer (REO) Musa Mthupha told the Times the government faced ‘financial challenges’ and some building projects had been put on hold.

‘He said there was a building programme in place, which did not see the light of day due to the country’s economic turndown,’ the newspaper reported.

News of the lack of funding comes after the Ministry of Education and Training paid more than E40 million to cover the cost of sending police and prison wardens into schools to invigilate examinations at the end of 2018 while teachers were in dispute.

Public services of all kinds in Swaziland are in meltdown because of years of financial mismanagement by governments which are handpicked by King Mswati III, who rules Swaziland as an absolute monarch.

At the start of the school year in January 2019 schools across the kingdom remained closed because the government could not fund the free primary education programme. Government is required under the Swazi Constitution to provide free places for all primary school children. It pays E560 per pupil. In Swaziland, seven in ten people have incomes of about E25 per day.

The funding crisis is not new. In June 2018 headteachers and principals told the Swazi Observer they were in huge debt and unable to pay suppliers. Many schools were without electricity.

There were also reports that schools did not receive much needed materials such as stationery because suppliers had not been paid. At primary school each child needs at least 14 exercise books and seven text books. One supplier located in Manzini told the Times of Swaziland his company was owed E300,000.

In the past two years children who relied on government food aid – known as the zondle programme – had gone hungry when bills were left unpaid.

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