BY KWANELE TSABEDZE AND ANDREW DLAMINI
LUDZIDZINI – Economic Development, Artificial Intelligence, youth issues, SACU receipts, and the regional Development Fund.
These are just some of the topics which were discussed in a bit more detail in today’s panel discussions during the third of Sibaya at Ludzidzini Royal kraal.
During the panel discussions, some influential and experienced members of the public were called to deliver five minute presentations on the topics raised during the previous days of Sibaya.
Starting off the panel discussions was Prince Guduza Dlamini. He was followed by Mbabane East Member of Parliament (MP) Welcome Dlamini, who spoke about state security, information and communications technology, as well as service delivery in the country.
“It is important to note that as we are advancing towards first-world status, we develop strong measures of national security, as all first world countries have high standards of state security. No investor wants to come into a country with weak safety and security standards,” said Dlamini.
“ICT tools should be set up to detect early-warning signs that will make sure that we do not experience the same social unrest as in 2021, because we all do not want that,” added Dlamini.
He also noted that Members of Parliament should provide monthly reports to cabinet and parliament to make sure that they are accountable to ensure efficient service delivery to the people.
“The better the service delivery, the less likely that we will see social unrests as well,” added Dlamini.
He continued to address questions on the advent of Artificial Intelligence. He cited that it is important for the Ministry of Information Communications and Technology (ICT) and the regulating body, the Eswatini Communications Commission to devise strategies for embracing AI and to reduce the effects of structural unemployment from AI.
After the Mbabane East MP had answered the public’s questions, Nonhlanhla Dlamini made a presentation on the Regional Development Fund. She made it clear that the RDF is doubling down its efforts to help Emaswati who want to work together, as it is set up to give grants to members of the public who want to work together. She educated the public on how the RDF works, and answered numerous questions from the public about the Fund.
Dlamini was followed by former Secretary to Cabinet Mbuso Dlamini who spoke about how the country can grow its revenues to boost Southern African Customs Union receipts. He largely advocated for value addition to raw products sourced from Eswatini, and went on to answer questions from the public on value addition and trade deficits.
“On the question of trade deficits, I will make an example of South Africa where we buy a lot and export less. This means that if we focus on beneficiation and value-addition of locally sourced resources, the difference in export value and import value will decrease,” he said.
He also noted that the Ministry of Commerce is building factories in the country with the goal of ensuring that all Tinkhundla have access to employment opportunities.
Fezeka Dlamini, who was recently elected a Senator, was called upon to discuss issues of education, as well as to discuss corruption and how to alleviate it.
“When we speak of education, a lot of us are learned and qualified, and we see that it does not always lead to employment for everyone. As a successful farmer, I would like to emphasise that we should introduce more vocational and agricultural related courses in colleges. Agriculture creates employment opportunities and develops the nation – whether you are learned or not, Agriculture gives everyone an economic opportunity,” said Dlamini.
She deferred the question of corruption to lawmakers, citing that they are the best people to deal with issues of corruption in the country. She went on to discuss the issue of unemployment.
“We would like to request Government to implement laws that will benefit local producers. We know that there are a lot of retailers in the country, however, they stock a lot of imported products. We therefore request that Government pass policies that will encourage retailers to source their produce from the country in order to motivate further commerce in Eswatini,” she said.
Moderator of the panel discussions Lington Gule asked Dlamini to comment on Genetically Modified Orgnasims in Agriculture.
“We know that we used to be able to use the same crops harvested in one year as the seeds for the next year. However, with the advent of GMO’s, we have seen less and less of that, and it would be to the benefit of the country to determine how to deal with GMO’s,” noted Dlamini.
Bheki Shabangu from Elangeni asked Fezeka what can be done for smallholder farmers to get more into commercial farming. His question was followed by Mbongiseni Magwaza from Mbekelweni, who asked about the opportunities for improving the Agricultural value chain within the country. Answering the questions, Senator Fezeka Dlamni, emphasized that indeed developing the Agriculture value chain is a key strategy in the country’s economic development initiatives.
“On commercial farming, I believe that for all Emaswati to love agriculture, we need Government to look into policies that will favour farmers so that they can commit to larger scale farming operations,” she said.
Concluding the panel discussions was Mduduzi Matsebula who spoke on issues of health in the country, which was raised numerous times in the past two days of public submissions at Sibaya.
“Health is everyone’s issue in the country. The economy grows because of a healthy population. It is therefore important to prioritise health, as sick people who do not get the help they need result in a lesser economic output for the country,” said Matsebula.
He noted that the country is operating on low reserves in terms of procuring drugs in the country. He encouraged that drug shortages which are caused by malpractise should be prosecuted harshly, so as to deter more offenders. He also suggested that there be research into locally developed medications, such as those from cannabis, in order to reduce the prices of drugs in the country.
During the question and answer session, Matsebula was questioned about the Luke Commission and how the Government can support the institution to operate at full capacity.
“It is important to thank initiatives such as The Luke Commission and the Taiwan Mission in Eswatini for the work they do in the rural areas. It is therefore important for Government to support these initiatives and find ways to support them so that they do not close down,” he said.
He concluded his presentation by answering more questions from the public on ensuring that drugs do not expire in stores, as well as encouraging the Eswatini Revenue Services (ERS) to audit pharmacies to reduce any malpractises in the sector. The third day of Sibaya was concluded with the announcement that the fourth day of Sibaya will begin at 9AM.
