WeekendAnalysis

yemaSwati ayitsengisi bekunene.

(the lives of emaSwati are priceless, stop the killing).” That was a command from the Throne. His Majesty the King called for an end to murder, violence, arsons, destruction of property and homes.

He sent words of comfort to all families that were affected by these developments, calling upon all elements to stop the killing of people. The speech touched on the need for unity and tolerance in nation building. He alluded to that God gave each nation its own identity and strength.

UNITY

He said as unity was entrenched in the customs and traditions, emaSwati have a duty to guard and protect this heritage for the benefit of the coming generations.

His Majesty the King said emaSwati were given this country by God (Mvelinchati) to live in it. Ingwenyama mentioned his address that God expected emaSwati to love and be tolerant of each other. He advised the nationals that their diversity and beliefs should not create hate among it, but rather show true patriotism “to who we are as a people of this great kingdom.” The King ordered emaSwati to co-exist despite their different ways of looking at the development and social landscape. He said each and every liSwati should be guided by the principles of the holy book; “thou shall love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these”. Resultant, of his speech, Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg announced an allocation of E30 million for the national dialogue. In his previous budget speech, the minister of Finance had allocated a sum of E22 million for the dialogue. Rijkenberg pointed out that His Majesty the King wanted all emaSwati to constructively engage in dialogue, within the framework of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Eswatini and Sibaya – the people’s Parliament where emaSwati express themselves on national issues at Ludzidzini Royal Residence’s cattle byre. He said the nation experienced unrest and politically motivated acts of violence resulting in the loss of lives and damage to property. He mentioned that government responded appropriately and proportionately to these threats and called upon all stakeholders to denounce violence, constructively engage and work collectively to establish a framework for dialogue.

He said such engagement required the immediate end to violence and an uninterrupted period of peace and stability to ensure all emaSwati could safely and meaningfully contribute to this process. He pointed to the fact that emaSwati would fail to thrive as a nation and as an economy if there was no end to violence and uninterrupted period of peace and stability.

“Simply put, unless the violence stops, we cannot rebuild our economy, create jobs, and deliver services,” said the minister of Finance.

“In this regard the budget is providing E30 million to facilitate the National dialogue.”

International Alert states that peace through prosperity is the wide and fair participation in the creation and proceeds of growth: Jobs, incomes and livelihoods. It means giving people the opportunity to save and invest, as well as ensuring tax revenues are raised and spent fairly, wisely and transparently. Economic activities that are both socially and environmentally sustainable also contribute to peace.This is the opportunity for all of us to use our peace to transform the country in a dynamic work. When Saudi Arabia ended its ban on Somali livestock imports, the level of maritime piracy fell. Why? Because clan leaders were able to tax the livestock trade, so no longer needed piracy as a source of income. It was a step towards peace. We can improve on our peace by supporting development of all kinds, in the rural and urban areas. I am looking forward to the construction of malls in Bhadzeni II in Mankayane. Of course, I am looking forward to the tarring of the Ngwempisana-Mponono and Tsawela-Sandlane roads. In Peru, banks contribute to social peace by requiring borrowers to complete a conflict map as part of their loans process, so investing in the economy means investing in good relations.

Business people in Uganda helped improve relations between tribes by using trade to rebuild trust between them.

In Colombia, over 100 companies support progress towards peace by linking their own advertising to the peace campaign.

Business Eswatini and FESBC, assisted by government and civil society organisations should work hard to develop the country economically so that we can enjoy peace.

Without development, peace is impossible.