With disturbing reports suggesting that,emaSwati are dying amid shortage of kidney failure dialysis machines at the Raleigh Fitkin Memorial(RFM) hospital,State and private companies opted to present over R6million to King Mswati as a birthday gift.
The entities include the Public Service Pension Fund(PSPF), Eswatini National Provident Fund(ENPF), Central Bank of Eswatini(CBE) and other State owned companies entrusted to administer public funds.
I will not delve on private companies for now as their participation in social development is determined by corporate policies.
Private companies pay tax and therefore, they are and, remain major contributors to social development, we cannot therefore entirely blame them for government failures and Mswati’s extravagant lifestyle amid the poverty situation.
But in this country, a culture of pleasing one(1) man King Mswati,while hundreds of emaSwati perish in the midst of the health crisis has been adopted.
It’s a culture of corruption and/or abuse of power where Chief Executive Officers(CEOs) and Board members of State entities ‘steal’ and present public funds to Mswati as a bribe disguised as ‘tetfulo’.
Worth-noting, there’s no law in this country suggesting that, State companies must present such huge amounts to a billionaire King
It’s just the manipulation of the unwritten Customary Law to bribe the King for appointments, these corrupt and politically ambitious individuals must use their own money to bribe the King, State funds must address the needs of the people.
I am not against culture, in my home area I sometimes contribute voluntarily and give some residents money to buy food when summoned by uMphakatsi for kuhlehla, there’s no where in Eswatini Law and Custom where citizens are urged to steal public funds and present to the King as tetfulo.
The problem starts when our culture is manipulated by corrupt individuals who want to please King Mswati with public funds.
Indeed, there’s no justification to hide in the name of culture and present over R6million to Mswati while kidney failure patients die at RFM hospital,culture was meant to promote humanity(Buntfu),unity and love among emaSwati,not to enrich one man and his traditional leaders.
Mswati has been in power for close to forty(40) years now and fully understands how to manipulate absolute power for his own benefit,he delayed the appointment of emaBandla(Governing Councils) because he wanted more people to be at his mercy and splash millions as gifts on his birthday.
The social challenges,lack of service delivery, rampant corruption that resulted to the health crisis and death of hundreds of emaSwati, while State owned companies splash money to an extravagant dictator who is also suspected of looting public funds, is a clear demonstration how corruption in the public administration has been institutionalized under a culture of impunity.
State owned companies like the Pension Fund are accountable to the public and subject to transparency and accountability as per the principles of public administration.
It is therefore surprising to note that,State entities are splashing money to Mswati while the owners of the money are dying like flies, some of the kidney failure patients at RFM hospital are civil servants who own the Pension Fund.
But then,Mswati as he is always described as a King who loves his people must demonstrate leadership, he must use that money to purchase the kidney failure dialysis machine at the RFM hospital.
Well,I don’t want to believe that as a country or emaSwati,we have lost humanity and developed the love of money such that we can watch other citizens die, while we live a lavish lifestyle, such conduct would mean we have completely lost humanity(Buntfu) and that’s where I have a serious problem with royal supremacy and the corrupt ruling ensemble.
Indeed,if the institution of the Monarchy represents extravagant spending and corruption while people die of poverty with no access to medical care, then it means it has lost relevance and has become a liability to the people.
We need to rescue the kidney failure patients at the RFM and the public monies donated to Mswati should supplement efforts to buy the dialysis machine.
Your Majesty,emaSwati are dying at RFM Hospital,let’s have that cash and save lives.
King Mswati.