Times Of Swaziland: A CABINET OF CRISES

A CABINET OF CRISES
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Phila  Sibiya on 16/02/2018 19:52:00


Comment
While Cabinet was nice and cosy in a hotel up north - supposedly planning to get
the country working - tertiary institutions were shutting down left, right and
centre due to unpaid allowances.
The University of Swaziland’s Kwaluseni and Luyengo Campuses are closed. So is
the William Pitcher Teacher Training College. First-year students at the
Southern Africa Nazarene University (SANU) have also been sent packing for
protesting over the delayed allowances.
We condemn violence in the strongest possible terms and will always urge the
students to address their grievances in a peaceful manner. However, we cannot
condone gross inefficiency on the part of government in disbursing what is due
to the students.
The tertiary calendar is well-known, so how does government fail to make
sufficient funds available on time to avoid the disruption of lectures? Why does
the minister responsible for these allowances still have a job?
The misery of the education sector doesn’t end there. The prime minister and
his team were probably feasting on the finest things the hotel has to offer
while some schools are still without meals, despite a promise by government to
deliver two weeks into the new term.
When it did deliver, the food was placed at a government warehouse and teachers
told to collect it themselves, before a belated decision to get government
trucks to assist.
Even then, some schools still have no idea how to get hold of the trucks. In the
midst of all this are pupils in class on empty stomachs.
What became of the billions of Emalangeni that the Swaziland Revenue Authority
(SRA) was boasting about while its workers were on strike?
Management rewarded itself for a job well done and handed the money over to
Cabinet. Clearly it hasn’t arrived yet.
In fact, the situation has gone from bad to worse because the business community
is still waiting in vain for payments. Other sectors, such as health and
agriculture, have also experienced drug shortages and delayed farm inputs.
Parliament officially opens today and Cabinet will be receiving new directives
from the Head of State.
Given its track record, we would be pleasantly surprised if Cabinet delivers on
any of these directives before it vacates office. What is certain though, is
that the minister’s exit perks will be paid right on time!