Bring back honours system

6LU

:ith a population of appro[imately one million in a world of seven billion, there is a . per cent chance of being a successful (swatini born sportsper son. :hether that is good or bad or something to be proud of, , will leave to you. :hat it does mean, however, is that the chances of a li6wati e[celling on the global stage are just as slim giv en how few of us are there in the world.

:hat it also means is that if a li6wati has achieved something e[traordinary, and is lauded for their achievements outside the country, that li6wati has done e[ceptionally well and ought to be celebrated.

Excellence

:hat better way to celebrate our e[ceptional, high achieving citi]ens, who, through their e[cellence, shine a global light on this tiny land, than bestowing upon them our country¶s national honours. 7he civil honours system is an indication of a country¶s belief in top performance, profession alism and e[cellence.

1obuhle 'lamini, a superstar golfer who plays on the /adies (uropean PG$ 7our and the 6unshine /adies 7our and was crowned -o¶burg 2pen champion in , is easily one of the Ningdom¶s greatest e[ports.

(riNa 6eyama, another star athlete, won gold in the high jump at the $ll $frica Games in , has competed in the ,$$) 'iamond /eague and continues to hoist the country¶s flag high. $t the &ommonwealth Games, 6imanga 6hiba won bron]e in the men¶s light flyweight bo[ing division. ,n , )anele 0ashwama and his teammate won the :orld 8ni versities 'ebating &hampionships. 7hat is the largest such competition in the (nglish speaNing world and a li6wati won it

$ll the aforementioned feats are hon our worthy and the fact that none of the abovementioned people have received national honours is egregious and is an indication that e[cellence is, clearly, not a priority in this country.

Honours

7he failure of the 6tate to honour these men and women, who put the country on the map, means that the country loses the opportunity to use them as leverage to show the world what ema6wati are capable of. 7he national honours in this country have remained a preserve of members of the royal family, foreign heads of 6tate and government and, occasionally, members of the diplomatic corps. 7he honours system must be brought bacN to life, and used to honour and celebrate e[ceptional ema6wati who have made this country proud.

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