Swaziland police hitch-hike to crime scenes because of vehicle shortages

Police across Swaziland (eSwatini) have to hitch rides from civilians to get to crime scenes or perform other duties because the kingdom is broke and cannot pay for fuel or repairs to vehicles.

Swazi Police spokesperson Superintendent Phindile Vilakati said ‘a majority’ of police stations across the kingdom were affected by the shortage.

The situation is not new as there have been similar reports over the past two years.

Vilakati was responding to a newspaper report that there was only one vehicle available to police in Mankayane and surrounding areas and ‘police officers are reportedly forced to walk or hitchhike to crime and accident scenes because government has challenges with fuel or vehicle repairs’. 

The only vehicle available was shared among the General Patrol, Crime Investigation Department (CID) and the Traffic Department. Traffic officers were reportedly using their personal vehicles to mount roadblocks.

The Times of eSwatini reported, according to a source, ‘There had been three cases of armed robberies where police were contacted but could not make it on time due to the fact that there was a shortage of motor vehicles.’ This gave the robbers ample time to leave the crime scene before the police could apprehend them.  

Vilakati said, ‘The situation has become even worse as it has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic to a point that we couldn’t service even the few cars that we have and on top of that the issue of fuel shortage also contributed dearly.’

The problem is not a new one. In July 2019 it was reported police at Ngudzeni had been without vehicles for a year. Officers were forced to either walk to crime scenes or to wait for a day or so in order to get the one vehicle that was allocated to the nearby Dumako Police Post.

Vilakati said at the time the police force faced challenges which she attributed to the ‘government’s obtaining economic crisis’.

 In August 2018 it was reported police in the Siteki area were forced to walk or hitch-hike to crime and accident scenes because the government had not paid for fuel or vehicle repairs. Traffic officers used their personal vehicles to mount road blocks.

In May 2018 it was reported that Swaziland was so short of resources that police were unable to secure voter registration centres in the runup to national elections and do their routine work at the same time. Police officers were said to have been left stranded at registration centres in the evenings because there were no vehicles available to take them home.

Police were unable to respond when a five-year-old was abducted and raped because they were on election duty, according to the Swazi Observer at the time. It said a toddler was with her mother at Mahlalini, an area in the outskirts of Nhlangano, when a man grabbed her and disappeared into a thicket where he raped her.

See also

Police forced to hitch-hike to crime and accident scenes as government-induced financial crisis bites

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/08/police-forced-to-hitch-hike-to-crime.html

 

Media target Swazi Police shortages

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2018/06/media-target-swazi-police-shortages.html

 

Police in Swaziland walk to crime scenes because Govt. can’t afford to buy cars

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/07/police-in-swaziland-walk-to-crime.html

Swaziland sees increase in sexual violence against children as schools closed by coronavirus

The closure of schools in Swaziland (eSwatini) because of the coronavirus pandemic has led to an increase in sexual and gender based violence against children, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report suggests.

Schools across the kingdom were closed in March 2020 as part of a partial lockdown of businesses and organisations because of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Some schools have since reopened.

The disruption affected 909 primary and secondary schools, approximately 339,000 learners and 15,945 teachers in Swaziland. Also affected were 12 government-aided tertiary institutions that fall under the broad jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education and Training (MoET) with a total of 13,959 students and 748 lecturers, the report stated.

It added, ‘School dropout rates might rise, school closures have higher social and economic costs for communities, particularly to vulnerable boys and girls. The girl child faces higher vulnerabilities than boys, and school closures increase the risk of hunger for orphaned children.’

It added, ‘The impact is particularly severe for the most vulnerable and marginalized boys and girls and their families. Some of them are exposed to gender based violence, especially sexual violence.’

According to official Swazi police figures, during the period of lockdown between 27 March and 19 April, 299 sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) cases were reported of which 53 were rape and 213 domestic violence cases. The age group 12 to 17 years has been more vulnerable to sexual violence. In April alone, 30 out of 47 reported rape cases were from this group. Some of them were exposed to gender based violence, especially sexual violence.

Some pupils from poorer backgrounds might not be able to return to education when the coronavirus crisis ended, UNDP reported, because they had fewer educational opportunities beyond school. ‘Their non-return, therefore, could deprive them of opportunities for growth and development, end their hopes of escaping poverty for themselves and their families, plunge them deeper into the inequality chasm and reduce overall human capital in the economy. As a result, there most likely will be a rise in the school dropout rates due to teenage pregnancies and child marriage.’

The report said that experience elsewhere in the past showed an increase in teenage pregnancies attributed largely to the closure of schools.

Classes have been moved from classrooms to online. The introduction of this distance education, using information and communications technology (ICT) such as computers and the Internet, had its problems for pupils, teachers and parents, the UNDP reported.

‘Learning from home and using ICT for the first time is challenging and requires discipline and motivation that is more suited to older learners. Anecdotal evidence shows that teachers experience confusion and stress when schools close, especially unexpectedly and for unknown durations. They are often unsure of their obligations and how to maintain connections with students to continue to support the learning process.

‘Not being trained in the use of ICT, they find it messy and frustrating to make an easy transition to the distance learning platforms even in the best of circumstances. In many contexts, school closures lead to separation for teachers. They experience social isolation because schools are hubs of social activity and human interaction. Thus, when schools close, especially suddenly, many children and youths miss out on social contact, which is essential to learning and development. This also affects their teachers, too, experience has shown.’

Poorer children suffer when schools move classes online. ‘Many households find it hard enough to pay the school fees to keep their children in school not to talk of buying a computer or smartphone or some other equipment required for e-Learning. Students who are fortunate enough to scale the hurdle of acquiring computer facilities for e-Learning may be said to have escaped a trap, a poverty-induced trap. But they still have other traps to escape, the report stated. ‘Online learning is also not accessible to all children equally. Children from poor households and those living with disabilities could easily be left behind.’

It added there were dangers exposing children to the Internet, including the possibility of sexual exploitation, trafficking, grooming and potential cyberbullying with possible destructive consequences.

 

See also

Swaziland teachers say Govt. plan to reopen schools from coronavirus lockdown unsafe

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/06/swaziland-teachers-say-govt-plan-to.html

Swaziland schools reopen from coronavirus lockdown amid fears virus not peaked

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/07/swaziland-schools-reopen-from.html

Swaziland faces jobs and poverty crisis as coronavirus disruption continues

The coronavirus crisis in Swaziland (eSwatini) is having widespread damaging effects on unemployment and poverty and many jobs might not return, a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report fears.

The impact could last for generations.

UNDP looked at the way the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown imposed by the Swazi Government in March 2020 had disrupted life throughout the kingdom. Employment has been hit badly and hunger is spreading.

The report stated that in 2016 the national unemployment rate stood at 23 percent and the formal sector employed 3.1 percent and the informal 60.3 per cent with the working-age population consisting of 738,799 people of which 364,630 persons were out of the labour force. Almost 82 percent of employment is in the private sector, which is dominated by small and medium enterprises and factories.

The onset of coronavirus in March 2020 closed factories and other industries, including the service industry such as hotels and catering services. Workers were paid only for the days worked in March 2020, while the state of emergency declared on 17 March 2020 froze all economic activities in a range of sectors. The impact of these measures on people was immediate. The Ministry of Labour subsequently announced that 13 companies had laid off over 8,400 workers and the Minister announced (on 4 May 2020) that 8,429 would be paid salaries for April and May. The companies are mostly in the textile, hotels and catering sectors. They are part of 43 companies that have applied to lay off staff and requested an exemption from provident fund contributions to redirect the money to laid-off staff.

The UNDP report stated, ‘People living in or near poverty often lack disposable cash, and so cannot easily stockpile food in times of crisis. Hunger, malnutrition, pneumonia and other forms of health-related shocks and stresses compound vulnerability to the virus and contribute to a vicious cycle of disease and destitution.

‘The coronavirus pandemic would increase poverty, inequality and unemployment due to its adverse impact on people’s jobs and livelihoods in the economy. The non-provision of health insurance for the poor generally and the majority of the rural dwellers in particular, would exacerbate poverty and inequality.

‘Informal economy job losses are bound to happen as the government continues to implement safety control measures, including restricted travel and partial lockdown. The effect of this on the informal sector will be huge as their members are likely to suffer significant losses since their incomes depend on daily labour. This development will further push the poor and the vulnerable to the margins, particularly in urban areas as they live from hand to mouth, with any day lost in trading time impacting directly on the household income. The recovery of this sector may be difficult as they are likely to expend their capital on survival requirements during the lockdown.’

It added, ‘A vital segment of the service industry is the tourism industry which employs about 5,000 people, of whom 3,500 work for members of the Hotel and Tourism Association (HOTAS). The industry generates about E1 billion (US$60 million) revenue annually. The closure of this sector because of COVID-19 has had a ripple effect on the cottage industry in handcrafts and artefacts, which relies on tour buses for their income. Such income evaporated overnight when borders were closed to tourists.

‘Painting a picture of the sector’s losses to the pandemic, The Ministry of Tourism announced an estimated potential loss of E208.8 million out of which E95 million stems from accommodation, E97 million from restaurants, E11 million from the entertainment of tourists, and E62 thousand from transportation between February and July 2020.’

It added, ‘The 3,200-strong producers and exporters of homemade products such as handicraft artefacts, jams and natural gourmet foods are just as badly affected. This sector is an important contributor not only to the economy but also to the livelihoods of numerous low-income households in the rural sector. In 2019, this network of artefacts producers generated a turnover of E67 million and was looking to a more productive year in 2020. Unfortunately, their incomes dried up suddenly when the borders were closed.’

The UNDP report stated, ‘It has been said that these shocks, sudden as they are, could have long-lasting consequences on human development and can be passed to subsequent generations. Even after an epidemic has ended and economic growth has returned, the impacts of the shock could still leave lasting damage. What is certain, however, is that the effects will be unequally distributed, with vulnerable groups disproportionately affected.’

See also

Coronavirus lockdown costs thousands of jobs in Swaziland, people evicted from home 

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/05/coronavirus-lockdown-costs-thousands-of.html

 

Swaziland Govt. confirms it will not feed the starving in towns and cities during coronavirus lockdown

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/04/swaziland-govt-confirms-it-will-not.html

Families of girls killed at Swaziland Reed Dance get no financial compensation

The families of ten girls, mostly aged 11 to 16, who were killed in a road accident while being transported on the back of a truck ‘like cattle’ during the Reed Dance for King Mswati III in 2015 have received no financial compensation for their death.

The Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accidents Fund (SMVAF) will not make pay-outs because the girls had no dependents.

The accident happened when the girls were going to Ludzidzini Royal Residence after cutting reed for the kingdom’s absolute monarch.

The news of the non-payment was broken by the Times of Swaziland. It reported the SMVAF guarantees no compensation for deceased people, other than funeral benefits, if they had no source of income or dependants at the time of their death.

The deaths caused outrage in August 2015. The exact number of deaths in the incident is disputed. The Swazi Government said 13 people, including children and adults, died but there was widespread disbelief in Swaziland that the death toll was so low. The Swaziland Solidarity Network, a prodemocracy group banned in Swaziland, citing the Swaziland Defence Force as a source, put the figure of deaths at 38. It later revised this figure to 65, citing medical officials as a source.

The official figures included an 11-year-old girl and seven girls aged 16 or under.

They died when they were loaded up onto the back of a truck. It was involved in a road collision on 28 August 2015. They were taking part in the annual Reed Dance or Umhlanga where they were expected to be among thousands of ‘virgins’ to dance in front of the King.

King Mswati came in for heavy criticism after the crash because journalists were prevented from reporting the event. King Mswati rules Swaziland as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch and media are heavily restricted in his kingdom.

Thousands of young girls from across Swaziland were forced to travel in trucks standing up  in the open back cheek-by-jowl. There was no space to sit down or even to turn around. Photographs show that at least sixty children were squashed onto the back of a single truck. Many of the trucks that transported the girls were usually used to move building materials.

Young girls travel this way every year to attend the Reed Dance where they are expected to dance topless in front of King Mswati. Media in Swaziland routinely describe the girls as ‘virgins’ or ‘maidens.’ The King was 46 years old at the time of the accident.

Media reports of the accident were inconsistent, but it was generally agreed that the children were thrown from the back of the truck when it was involved in a collision. Police reported that not all the girls died on the spot. International media reported that journalists in Swaziland were stopped from gathering information about the accident.

 

(Below) A photograph issued by Reuters in 2015. The caption reads ‘Maidens riding in the back of a dump truck arrive before the last day of the Reed Dance at the Ludzidzini royal palace in Swaziland.’

 

See also

‘Cover-up on Swazi Reed Dance deaths’

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/08/cover-up-on-swazi-reed-dance-deaths.html

 

Dead girls are victims, not heroes

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/09/dead-girls-are-victims-not-heroes.html

 

Dead girls transported like cattle

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/09/dead-girls-transported-like-cattle.html

 

 

Swaziland authorities ban march to protest ban on alcohol during coronavirus crisis

A planned march in Swaziland (eSwatini) to protest the ban of manufacture and sales of alcohol during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic was banned by police and the local municipal authority.

The march through the capital city Mbabane to deliver petitions to the Swazi Prime Minister, the South Africa High Commission and the European Union Commission was called off at the last minute on Friday (18 September 2020).

It had been organised by the Swaziland National Liquor Association (SNLA). The sale of alcohol is banned in the kingdom which went into partial lockdown in March to try to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Much of the lockdown has been eased but the alcohol ban remains.

SNLA said the ban had badly hit the alcohol industry with job losses and the future of some businesses was in jeopardy.

SNLA was told it had not submitted on time a request to march. Public protests are severely restricted in Swaziland which is ruled by King Mswati III as an absolute monarch. 

See also

Swaziland coronavirus deaths top 100 as number of tests undertaken falls

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/09/swaziland-coronavirus-deaths-top-100-as.html 

 

Places of worship closed in Swaziland as coronavirus lockdown rules ignored

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/09/places-of-worship-closed-in-swaziland.html 

 

Top Royal presses Swaziland Govt to send riot police, army into homes to confiscate alcohol

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/07/top-royal-presses-swaziland-govt-to.html

 

Swaziland bans alcohol production and sales, threatens media as coronavirus lockdown extended

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/04/swaziland-bans-alcohol-production-and.html

Swaziland coronavirus deaths top 100 as number of tests undertaken falls

The number of deaths from coronavirus in Swaziland (eSwatini) has broken through the 100 barrier to 101. Meanwhile, the number of test results announced by the Ministry of Health is falling.

 

Three new deaths were reported by the Ministry on Monday. The number of tests reported over the seven days ended 14 September 2020 were 1,751. This compared to 2,365 over the previous seven days and 2,306 for the last week of August.

 

To date 5,104 people tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), according to official Ministry of Health figures. Of these, 4,374 had recovered. 

 

Minster of Health Lizzie Nkosi reported on Monday a further three people – all aged in their sixties – had died of the virus, taking the total number to 101.

 

The number of deaths has risen slowly over the past weeks. On 1 August the total number of deaths was 43.

 

Swaziland has failed to get a grip on coronavirus. In March King Mswati III, the absolute monarch, ordered a partial lockdown of the kingdom. School and businesses were closed and restrictions on gatherings and travel were put into place. Many of these have since been eased.

 

The economy is broke and in early August Swaziland secured a US$110 million loan from the International Monetary Fund to help keep the kingdom going. It also got similar loans from the World Bank and African Development Bank (AfDB).

 

To secure the IMF loan the Swazi Government in a letter promised the IMF, ‘We will contain public wage spending, continuing our policies of gradual employment reduction and lower-than inflation salary adjustments. We have commissioned an external review of the extra budgetary sector with the aim of rationalizing spending and transfers to key state-owned entities and merge entities with similar mandates over time.’

 

Later in August, Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini announced a strategic economic recovery plan that would cost E30 billion (US$1.73 billion). The Swazi Government wants E23 billion of this to be privately financed.

 

The plan listed 97 specific projects across eight sectors of the economy that ‘are ready to be implemented within 18-months beginning of 1 July 2020.’ It said 40,126 jobs would be created.

 

Observers were sceptical that the plan could be realised. Swaziland has been trying for more than a decade to reduce the government’s spending and to encourage private investment, especially from outside the kingdom. To date these efforts have largely failed. 

 

Swaziland continuously scores poorly in surveys for the ease of doing business in the kingdom.

 

See also

 

Swaziland’s plan to revive economy after coronavirus ambitious, but unrealistic

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/08/swazilands-plan-to-revive-economy-after.html

 

Swaziland pledges public sector job cuts, below inflation wage increases to secure IMF loan

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2020/08/swaziland-pledges-public-service-job.html

Swaziland democracy leader and former MP Jan Sithole dies

Jan Sithole, the former Manzini North Member of Parliament and President of the Swaziland Democratic Party (SWADEPA), has died. He was taken ill at home and later died in hospital. He was 67 years old.

 

He was one of the best-known campaigners for democratic reform in Swaziland (eSwatini) which is ruled by King Mswati III, as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

 

In 2013, Sithole was elected to the Swaziland House of Assembly. Political parties are banned from taking part in elections and King Mswati appoints the Prime Minister and government ministers. 

 

Sithole had campaigned for many years for multi-party democracy and came in for much criticism at the time from prodemocracy campaigners for standing for parliament and giving the poll legitimacy.

 

In an interview at the time with writer / journalist Shaun Raviv, Sithole said his change in strategy was a continuation of his past actions and beliefs. 

 

Jan Sithole who has died

 

‘I still subscribe to social justice, human dignity, democracy, rule of law, separation of powers. I believe in seeing a Swaziland that is economically vibrant, with jobs for all. And a Swaziland that provides equality for men and women and respects the international covenants that it has ratified. That’s me in the past, that’s me now. What has changed is the forum that I want to use to achieve the same principles.’

 

Sithole came to international attention in when he was leader of the former Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) which led a series of national strikes in the kingdom during 1995-1997 which had ‘27 demands’, for economic and social changes.

 

His campaign for democracy continued for years and he was arrested many times. The most recent was in December 2019 when he and other prodemocracy leaders had their homes raided by police and were arrested. They had recently formed the Political Parties Assembly (PPA) to advocate for change. 

 

See also

 

Democracy leaders detained by Swaziland police as illegal march halted

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/12/democracy-leaders-detained-by-swaziland.html

 

Swaziland political parties unite in bid to end absolute king’s power

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2019/11/swaziland-political-parties-unite-in.html  

 

Interview with new MP Jan Sithole

https://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/09/interview-with-new-mp-jan-sithole.html