By Lindelwa Dlamini
MALKERNS – As thousands of tourists will this weekend flock to the Kingdom of Eswatini, projections are that the country’s economy will be boosted by at least E100 million.
This figure is in respect of employment opportunities, creative economy, accommodation, retail outlets, petrol and etc. Bushfire Festival Event Director Jiggs Thorne explained that for this year, they are aiming to generate over E100 million which will go back the country’s economy.
Speaking during yesterday’s Eswatini TV 7 pm news, Jiggs said the E100m would be made by the Bushfire festival and other businesses within the Bushfire corridor.
Giving example, Jiggs stated that businesses that will benefit from the festival include retailers, accommodation establishments, filling stations, catering companies, and small business people who would be selling fast foods by the roadside.
Another contributing factor will be job opportunities.
Jiggs disclosed that the festival has already managed to provide employment opportunities to 1 000 Emaswati.
The employees, according to Jiggs, were residents from Malkerns, under Lobamba Lomdzala.
“The team has been working for over a year. At the height of Bushfire and round about now we have 1000 Emaswati working the Bushfire. A lot of those people are coming from local community, Lobamba Lomdzala. We do amazing things for what we call creative economy. This year 2024, it’s well over E100 million. So this is money that is going back to the economy,” he said.
ABOUT MTN BUSHFIRE
Globally infused, authentically African and proudly Eswatini, MTN Bushfire is one of Africa’s largest multicultural gatherings, illuminating the transformational power of the arts through our call to action for positive social and environmental change, #BRINGYOURFIRE. A diverse, inclusive and family-friendly music and arts festival set in a fantasy-scape of the imagination, MTN Bushfire takes place in the beautiful farmland and mountains of the peaceful Malkerns Valley. Every year, we welcome Fire Starters from over 60 countries for an energising and uplifting weekend, with an eclectic programme featuring some of the finest musical and artistic talents from across Africa and around the globe.
A conscious celebration of unity in diversity and an inspiring emblem of social inclusion, MTN Bushfire represents the kind of world we would all like to see – a global community of change-makers, thought leaders, and creative problem solvers who unite in a celebration of the arts and in the spirit of taking action against discrimination, environmental degradation and poverty.
