Times Of Swaziland: EVENTS ORGANISERS CRY FOUL OVER TREATMENT

EVENTS ORGANISERS CRY FOUL OVER TREATMENT
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BY DUDU DUBE on 07/04/2021 07:37:00


MBABANE - Are some event organisers treated unfairly?
This is an assertion made by some event organisers and support staff in the
country who have felt the wrath of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic’s
restrictions as their sector was one of the most affected during the coronavirus
era. Some organisers from Manzini (who have preferred to remain anonymous) feel
they are treated unfairly as they claim that their events are always cancelled
or interfered with by authorities while those who are hosting in the
Ezulwini/Mbabane corridors are left unsupervised to host shows as they like.
“It has been brought to our attention that event hosts seem to be doing as
they please outside the Manzini region. We know that the two hours and 100
people set by government aren’t happening in some of these hotspots. It is
funny though how we, in Manzini, adhere to these covid-19 regulations, but our
spots are the first to be shut down!” said the source. This comes after Acting
Prime Minister Themba Masuku eased the covid-19 regulations for the
entertainment sector where he announced that a maximum of 100 people could
attend arts activities at any given point.
The activities include theatre, comedy shows, poetry shows, fashion shows,
small-scale choral music, small-scale music concerts, small-scale launches,
cinemas as well as museums and art galleries. The announcement comes after a
prolonged dark period of seven months in the entertainment sector when a
continuous ban on public gatherings was put into effect in March last year to
combat the spread of the coronavirus. Masuku highlighted that inspectors would
be sent to the events to ensure compliance as those that will not comply would
be banned from continuing with activities.
Conditions
He also shared some set conditions that the events would abide by and operate
under, which included hosting events at a venue that has applied for and
received an Entertainment Activity Hosting Compliance Certificate (EAHCC) from
the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs through the Eswatini National
Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC). “Host artists and venues should appoint
adequately trained compliance officers, who will ensure that all participants
are screened at entry,” he said. The guidelines also include placement of
multiple sanitisation or handwashing facilities at the venue as well as ensuring
that a two-metre social distancing measure is observed.