Don’t be another ‘number’

By Sizwe Mthethwa

Eswatini, a once peaceful and hopeful nation, is slowly becoming a country of extremes with statistics like rape, crime, corruption, unemployment due to nepotism and so many other social ills being at an all-time high.

Many argue that Eswatini is, like many other countries, a State with woes that are not unique to her (Eswatini) and issues like those previously mentioned are problems every country must contend with; which is partially true.

However, the statistics in the Kingdom signify a serious problem in the populace that needs to be addressed urgently. The phrase ‘Don’t be another number’ seeks to encourage ordinary emaSwati to do better in their respective fields to make the country a better place. Public officials placed in positions of power have indeed been tasked with this, but it is also up to the general populace to effect change from a grass-roots level.

Local media has daily stories of minors being raped by legal guardians, divorce and gender-based violence (SODV) cases are also a daily occurrence and our justice system seems not to have a conclusive way of dealing with this problem, hence it is reoccurring at an alarming rate.

Furthermore, organisations like SWAAGA are not fully capacitated to deal with the influx of cases which usually need the assistance of law enforcement.

The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the June 2020 unrest also saw the country spiral into a state of more corruption and crime as local media houses probed procurement procedures for COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) and weapons were easily distributed during that state of civil war and uncertainty.

The current Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is currently probing multiple government offices on misuse of funds dating back to the time of the pandemic and it is clear that accountability has not been at the forefront of many of these State offices. Not to mention the high unemployment rate, especially among the youth, who have slid into a state of depression and hopelessness.

Poverty, which is a bottom line in this regard, has done nothing but exaggerate an already extreme situation because all of the prior mentioned issues are worse in a poverty-stricken society with very few options. It is because of this point that emaSwati must take control of their nation and be the change they want to see.

If the ‘Nkweee’ declaration made by His Majesty The King at the most recent People’s Parliament (Sibaya) is anything to go by, then it is clear that swift action must be taken to combat all the social ills our beautiful Kingdom is currently facing.

Stringent laws need to be applied to offences against minors, public officials must be held accountable at all times, and law enforcement needs to be capacitated with not only tools but knowledge on how to deal with many complex situations; especially when civilians are involved and emaSwati need to stop working in silos and come together in making the Kingdom of Eswatini better for those we precede.