Times Of Swaziland: AVERT THIS DISASTER

AVERT THIS DISASTER
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By Martin Dlamini on 10/11/2017 03:47:00


A programme by the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) on national radio
on Wednesday evening, which was basically cautioning us on safety precautions to
minimise the impact of disasters, gave yet another indication of rising levels
of unhappiness among the populace.
During the public call-in time, strong voices of discontent were directed
towards government with regards the way elderly people are treated in this
country, particularly on the issue of delayed elderly grants.
Many of the callers strongly believe that our social and economic ills are the
consequence of God’s wrath for the deliberate neglect of the elderly people.
They cited the drought, cattle deaths, starvation, drug shortages, etc. I
chuckled at the irony of a programme on disaster turning into a bit of a
disaster.
And it came as no surprise when the host remarked ‘tajika tintfo,’ which
means ‘the tables have turned.’ He tried hard to guide the callers on the
topic of the day with little success until one woman called to say she was not
experiencing any drought or hunger in her area so government could not be blamed
for the extreme weather patterns.
The other irony to the show that I found quite striking was how the different
climatic conditions in this country resembled the distribution of national
wealth. It is raining cash for some of the privileged few while dozens of others
can barely see a cent come their way. The elderly certainly fall within the
bracket of those in the drought hit areas because they haven’t had a
disbursement for the past five months.
Earlier on Wednesday, government had issued a press statement announcing that
elderly grants would be issued this month dating back five months to July. The
obvious question is; how have the elderly been able to get by over the past five
months? Raising this question triggers a whole lot of other questions affecting
several sectors of our society that are feeling the brunt of the current
undeclared financial crisis.
Just recently Swazis needing specialised treatment under the Phalala Fund and
the Civil Servants Medical Referral scheme were reported to be dying because of
a E170 million accumulated debt that has led South Africa medical service
providers refusing to accept patients under the schemes.
Our hospitals and clinics are running short on supply of drugs. The business
community is also bleeding with unpaid invoices for services rendered to
government. Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini has once again assured the
service providers that government would settle its debts with them.
He issued this statement as he filed his tax returns with the Swaziland Revenue
Authority (SRA) on Wednesday. There was no indication of when this would happen,
which doesn’t change the status quo. The PM is fortunate to be in the group of
the privileged few who are able to pay their taxes.
It is farming season and farmers are also angry that the Ministry of Agriculture
is struggling to provide farming inputs as promised. Members of Parliament on
Wednesday gave the minister a two-day ultimatum to deliver the required
fertiliser. Apparently the ministry has only been able to deliver seeds and
ammonium nitrate, makhabeni, while in some areas farmers were told to fetch the
inputs from distant depots which costs over E1 000 for transport.
Recently the minister said the farm inputs were ready but lamented that the
farmers were late with payment. He said 331 tractors were available but 130 of
them needed repairs.
Clearly these challenges confirm the prevailing cash flow crisis and this
suggests that there is no guarantee that the elderly will all be paid their
meagre grants. There is also no guarantee that the businesses will be paid
anytime soon either.
Sadly, this also suggests that relatives of patients hoping for specialist
treatment in South Africa under Phalala Fund and the Civil Service Medical
scheme should rather be saving up for funerals.
This is part of the pain and anger that presented itself on national radio on
Wednesday evening. This was a programme educating people about disasters. Come
to think of it, we cannot say their concerns about the financial disaster we
face were misplaced because this form of disaster is causing serious social
challenges that are coming with the loss of lives.
Perhaps it’s time NDMA paid Cabinet a visit. This is a matter that raises the
red flag, once again, about the serious cash flow challenges facing government.