Govt’s empty promise on GBV fight – SWAGAA
NHLANGANO – SWAGAA Director Nonhlanhla Dlamini says they have been promised money by government to fight gender-based violence (GBV) but they have not been given a cent 30 years later.
SWAGGA is an acronym for Swatini Action Group Against Abuse. Dlamini was speaking during the National Gender-Based Violence Campaign held at Nhlangano Park in the Shiselweni Region. She was talking about the need to finance the different organisations that were dealing with GBV issues. She said: “It is embarrassing that after 30 years of establishment of SWAGAA, there hasn’t been a cent that government has given to the organisation. They only promise and never fulfil.”
Directing it to the Deputy Prime Minister
Themba Masuku ,who was represented by Under Secretary Lomakhosi Dlamini, SWAGAA’s Dlamini questioned one thing that was done by the office in the strategic plan book that they launched, written ‘The National Strategy to End Violence in Swaziland 2017 – 2022’. She said the book in chapter two Section 2.1 read; “Statistics point to an alarming rate of increasing violence in all forms experienced in the country, making it imperative that Swaziland (Eswatini) declares violence a national disaster.”
Dlamini said regardless of that, there was nothing that was done by government and they were not aiding them in the fight against GBV.
“Since the launch of this book, what have you done? We were also promised funds which to date, 30 years later, we have not received a cent from government,” narrated Dlamini.