By Bongiwe Dlamini

MBABANE:The Ministry of Home Affairs is flooded with applications for international passports,nurses and teachers are leaving in large numbers amid the scarcity of jobs and low salaries in eSwatini.

This comes after Prime Minister(PM) Russell Mmiso Dlamini urged nurses and other civil servants to leave the country for greener pastures abroad or establish their own hospitals or schools.

But information sourced from the Ministry of Home Affairs suggests that within three(3) months,over one thousand(1000) emaSwati applied for international passports but this number also include those who travel to study or visit other countries as tourists.

Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo declined to comment about the matter.

It has been disclosed that, experienced teachers are traveling to Ireland and Taiwan while nurses travel to the United Kingdom(UK).

But as a result of the scarcity of jobs under the Tinkhundla undemocratic system of governance,more families are being affected as even married couples are forced to separate and at times, a wife will be in UK while a husband remain in eSwatini.

Even high profile people including Members of Parliament(MPs) whose wives were working as nurses or teachers are now lonely as the economic migration intensifies in eSwatini

“The situation in the country is now affecting everyone,what is the difference between those who are in exile and those who were forced by poverty to leave their country?.In a country where the political system is undemocratic,even if you are not affected by political persecution, you will become an economic migrate and leave your country due to scarcity of jobs. Almost everyone is broke in the country money is not circulating, only those closer to royalty or connected to the powerful are living a lavish lifestyle”, said a source.

PM Russell Mmiso Dlamini recently urged civil servants to leave the country for jobs in other countries,his statement was condemned by trade unions.

The Government is also failing to pay decent salaries for teachers and nurses.

On Wednesday,Lot Vilakati,the Secretary General(SG) of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers(SNAT) told this Swaziland News that,new teachers “are only paid four thousand,five hundred Rands(R4,500.00) by Government,he was being interviewed about the recent four percent(4%) Cost of Living Adjustment(COLA) offered by the eSwatini Government.

When asked by editor Zweli Martin Dlamini to clarify between a Cost of Living Adjustment(COLA) and a “salary increment including what unions are doing to negotiate better salaries for civil servants”, Vilakati confirmed that,most civil servants were financially struggling as salaries remain stagnant.

“New teachers are paid R4,500.00 by Government and we want this to change.A new qualified teacher with a Degree must at least be paid R16,000.00,in South Africa it’s R26,000.00. So we are waiting for the salary review exercise launched by Government to be completed next year so we can negotiate based on the recommendations of the Consultant”, said the SNAT Secretary General.