End violence against women, kids – King
LOBAMBA – His Majesty the King Mswati III calls upon emaSwati to work together in ending violence against women and children.
In his Speech from the Throne, His Majesty said emaSwati should confront one of the drivers of the AIDS pandemic, which was gender- based violence.
“Just as we have done with AIDS, we must use the same level of determination and collective responsibility to bring an end to violence against women and children,” said the King when officially opening the fifth session of the 11th Parliament.
He acknowledged that the country had also made notable strides in the fight against malaria and TB. “Nonetheless, we would like to remind and urge all emaSwati and partners to continue to contribute towards the end malaria fund so that we have adequate resources,” His Majesty said.
Policies
Ingwenyama mentioned in his address that government had the mandate to ensure that the country was food secure through a number of policies, by promoting the production and marketing of agriculture and food commodities.
“Key programmes for the upcoming financial year will include the construction of Mpakeni Dam and the continued rollout of the input subsidy for cushioning farmers, among other programmes,” Ingwenyama said.
“We note that the Kingdom of Eswatini and the entire African continent have experienced adverse effects brought about by climate change and yet Africa has the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions.”
He said the energy sector was critical to economic recovery. “It, therefore, remains important for the country to attain energy security considering that our energy supply agreements are due for review in 2025,” he said.
The King assured that government would strive to ensure that young people contributed positively to the development of this country, as well as improving their own lives.
He urged young people to take full advantage of the Youth Revolving Fund, the Regional Development Fund and other initiatives set up to finance innovative business ideas to create jobs for themselves and their peers.
Over the past few years, he said the world had been faced with increased agitation that manifested itself through repetitive waves of instability and other forms of disruption.
instAbilities
Ingwenyama said the SADC region had been no exception to such instabilities.
He then encouraged the African populace to join hands in working towards realising one of the AU’s union agenda 2063 initiatives, in silencing the guns by 2030, which aspired to end all wars and violent conflict on the continent.
His Majesty said the participation of emaSwati and friends of the kingdom from abroad at the Incwala Ceremony was highly impressive, which defied some attempts to discourage participation in a custom so dearly loved by the people.
He said the big turnout from the beginning of the Incwala Ceremony until the last day, was highly commendable. “We wish to thank the nation for showing their love for this very important ceremony. It gives us hope that our future generations will find this tradition very much alive,” he said.
He also commended the resounding success of other celebrations, which continued to attract visitors from the different continents of the world, such speaking to the uniqueness of Eswatini culture.