By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MAPHIVENI: Maphiveni residents are struggling to access clean water, every year a human life is lost to crocodiles at the Black Mbuluzi river where community members source water.

The crocodile infested Mbuluzi river is also used for irrigation purposes by the Simunye Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation(RESC), no visible efforts on the ground made by the Government and or the sugar company to establish a water project for the residents.

Water is a natural resource critical for socio-economic development, healthy ecosystems and human survival. 

Reached for comments, Sambulo Masuku, a Community Development Officer(Bucopho) under Mhlume Inkhundla confirmed the plight of the Maphiveni residents adding that they were facing serious challenges to access clean water.

“It’s true, the residents are struggling and had to risk and face crocodiles to source water. Government approved a water project that was supposed to start in 2020, a contractor came here for assessment and later disappeared. We suspect that Government did not honour a promise on payments hence everything was stopped,” said the Constituency Development Officer.

Maphiveni is situated in the Lubombo Region,a few kilometres from the Lomahasha Border Gate that connects eSwatini and Mozambique.

Some residents within the Maphiveni community are struggling to afford a decent meal in an area consistently affected by drought.

Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo had not responded at the time of compiling this report.

Speaking to this Swaziland News, human rights lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi wondered what eSwatini Government did for the people in terms of service delivery, without complaining about the shortage of funds.

“What does the eSwatini Government does for the people without complaining about money or anything? Parallel to that, the royal family can say ‘we get all the services from Government without any problem’.But the people on the other hand are saying ‘Government doesn’t deliver services to us’.So, what is happening to the people of Maphiveni is a true reflection of lack of service delivery in as far as Swaziland is concerned. It shows that the people are not a target of support by the Government. What is happening there where people are feasted by crocodiles trying to access water just because Government cannot provide is happening in other areas. Other citizens may not face the problem of crocodiles but they can tell a similar story of being neglected by the Government,” said the human rights lawyer.

Eswatini is ruled by billionaire King Mswati as an absolute Monarch, public funds are used to sustain his lavish lifestyle.

The country has about 70% of the population living below the poverty line, it is counted among the most unequal countries in the world.

On or around July 2016, the Daily Maverick reported that over three hundred thousand(300 000) citizens were in need of food aid and water assistance.

“The statistics tell a dire story. For example, maize production, the country’s staple food, fell by 31% in 2015, and is expected to be lower in the 2016 crop season, placing at least 300,000 people – a third of the population – in urgent need of food and water assistance,” the Daily Maverick reported.