By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE: Gogo Sibongile Mbingo, a sickly elderly woman of KaLanga in the Lubombo region is struggling with food and access to health, she is surviving on handouts.

This disclosure comes a few days after this Swaziland News exposed how Deputy Prime Minister Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku and his wife ‘looted’ about two hundred thousand Rand(R200,000.00) in traveling allowances in a trip to a United Nations meeting on Children Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. Other world leaders participated in the meeting through digital platforms and the DPM was sitting in an almost empty auditorium.

Masuku, a Minister responsible for the welfare of children and the elderly presented a report to the UN saying children and citizens of the country were taken care-of.

But the reality on ground suggests that life is literally a struggle for many citizens in the rural areas who are struggling with food and other basic necessities of life.

“I am sick, suffering from stroke and have nothing to eat. Most of the time I rely on the elderly grants that come after three(3) months but that money doesn't make any difference to my situation”, said Gogo Mbingo.

Eswatini is a tiny Kingdom situated in Southern African with about 70% of the population living below the poverty line, mineral resources and taxes are fully controlled by King Mswati for his own benefit and a few of his loyalists.

Reached for comments, Welcome Mdluli, the President of the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union(SWADNU) described Gogo Mbingo's situation as very unfortunate, he wondered why the Deputy Prime Minister opted to take about R200,000.00 from public funds at the time when the country's health system was struggling with resources.

“It’s very unfortunate that this elderly woman is also sick and can’t access health care, many Swazis are facing the same situation. One wonders why the DPM opted to take such a huge amount of money from public coffers to attend a meeting instead of participating through digital platforms. As a union, we are hoping that life would be better under a democratic government”, said the Nurses President.

Speaking to this Swaziland News, Mlungisi Makhanya, the President of the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) said the money benefited by the Deputy Prime Minister could have helped even University students by paying their allowances.

“It is for this reason that we will soon organize a protest demanding that the Deputy Prime Minister pay back the money for the benefit of the students”,said the PUDEMO President.

A questionnaire was sent to the DPM, however, he had not responded at the time of compiling this report.

Make Penda Mawelela, a neighbour to  Gogo Sibongile Mbingo who is also living below the poverty line told this publication on Saturday that she normally shared food with her sickly neighbour.

“We are not related, she is just my neighbour and I normally share the little I have with her because she doesn’t have any shoulder to cry on”, she said.