This budget is too beautiful - economist

MBABANE – Well-known economist, Sanele Sibiya says this year’s budget is beautiful and realistic.

Speaking to this publication, the economist who is also a lecturer of the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) pointed out that if he was the minister of Finance, he would have done the same.

He was reacting after the Minister of Finance; Neal Rijkenberg delivered the budget for the Fifth Session of the 11th Parliament, on Friday.

“In my view this is quite a beautiful budget, as is quite realistic, the money has been allocated to the well deserving sectors, which even I, myself, could have done the same thing. We are having windfalls from the SACU (Southern African Customs Union) receipt, which we are very much aware of its good behaviour, even that of not increasing the recurring expenditures, that was a good achievement for government.’’

The minister of Finance on Friday delivered what he called a youth probudget, which has shown a 14 per cent increase when compared to that of last year.

The minister also highlighted that as government they were on a celebratory mood, as this year’s budget was fully-financed and the country would not be seeking financial support anywhere in its implementation.

THERMAL

Meanwhile, the economist applauded government for allocating money for the construction for a thermal power plant in the country as it was high time that the country, generated its own electricity.

“We do recommend that billions are invested in the Ministry of Natural Resources, so that the ministry can be able to generate electricity, which is one of the urgent projects that need to be implemented at the soonest possible time as not being able to generate electricity is one of the threatening situations the countries of Southern Africa are facing including Eswatini,” explained the