Critical institutions not inspiring confidence

Drugs are essential in addressing the health needs of emaSwati and the continuous medication shortage issue points to a much deeper financial problem if lives

Sir,

Many citizens of this country are losing hope while they are angry and frustrated at the country’s institutions which ideally should serve their interests. There are many young people who are ready for tertiary education but cannot access scholarships due to stringent conditions stacked against those who are poor and vulnerable. Some parents have used their last savings and many are trapped in debt because of paying for their children in tertiary institutions.

Corruption

Corruption has reached an all-time high and accessing jobs for an ordinary liSwati has become difficult. Small businesses that render services to government are owed millions and as a result are struggling.

When news of taxing the dead emerged in social media platforms, many thought it was fake until this was confirmed by an official of the Eswatini Revenue Service. It was really shocking that children of the dead would further be impoverished through the taxation of estates, yet the same government does not have comprehensive social protection programmes to cushion the suffering masses.

ConfiDEnCE

Our critical institutions are also not inspiring confidence as access to justice remains a challenge for most. Parliament’s oversight functions are also curtailed. A relatively new good example is the Slomoes’E12 million tender process, where the nation is anxious to find out what happened. Individuals who mismanage

E N public funds are never brought to book. The government department tasked with handling gender-based violence issues is failing women and the nation at large. Women are still being violated willy-nilly. Furthermore, the Anti-Corruption Commission is not fullyempowered to fight corruption.

Land evictions and disputes have continued unabated because of the lack of a land policy. This is further exacerbated by continued chieftaincy disputes and lack of clear land regulatory frameworks governing relations between land owners and those who live in farms. The aforementioned problems will not go away because some people are benefitting from them.

Emmanuel