BY KWANELE TSABEDZE AND ANDREW DLAMINI
LUDZIDZINI – How do Chiefs, Tindvuna TeTinkhundla, Bucopho, and Members of Parliament work together to improve service delivery? What does patriotism mean in the context of Tinkhundla?
These were the questions posed to Sibaya people’s parliament panellist Lindiwe Gwebu from Mafutseni this afternoon on Day 4 of Sibaya.
Gwebu was quick and concise in discussing these topics and answering questions from the public, to which she received numerous ovations from the crowd.
“The right solution is decentralization. We have spoken about it but are still implementing it. This ensures that the development starts from the ground up to the point of Inkhundla where everyone can see it,”
“The lack of decentralization forces the public to go to Mbabane for Government help, where issues arise when people are not able to get the help they need on that day. It is important therefore to note that the policy of decentralization shows that Governement itself believes in the Tinkhundla system of governance,” said Gwebu.
She also advised that Government should focus in assisting savings cooperatives in the rural areas as they have enabled many people to get funds to make a living.
“I also believe it is time that chiefs and constituency committees are remunerated. This will reduce the likelihood that a chief sells land to someone purely for financial gain,” added Gwebu.
Speaking on patriotism, Gwebu defined it as the love of the country, culture, and King, with the recognition that while the foreign world will embrace Eswatini, there is no place that embraces Liswati like Eswatini. She added that a true patriot should not be quiet when the country’s name is being dragged in the mud.
“A patriot in the context of the Tinkhundla system is one who loudly stands for this country, recognizing that there is no other greater country than this one,” added Gwebu.
“We should be grateful to ourselves that foreigners proclaim that they all love this country. It is also notable that when you look at other countries, you realise that Eswatini is a well-built country. It is important to double down on supporting small businesses, as they are the backbone of the economy, as opposed to the big businesses,” emphasized Gwebu.
She also strongly advised that the Prime Minister’s office should hold the different institutions mandated to help MSME’s accountable to make sure that there is a measurable positive impact from their work.
Former Ambassador Abednego Ntshangase highlighted that the Tinkhundla System of governance has developed the country quite visibly, before asking Gwebu about how corruption is to be addressed by Government in a way that makes a difference.
“Governemnt should hold all the offices accountable where they follow up on certain cases if they are seen to be stalling. There should be fear of the nation and the King among the bodies which are to hold corruption accountable,” suggested Gwebu, citing that eradicating corruption would be highly beneficial to taking the country to greater heights.
Sibaya Day 4 panel discussions are currently ongoing.
