SIGNS/SYMPTOMS OF MADNESS

Sir,

I really don’t know whether to call this signs or symptoms of madness, but there is one thing that I am sure of and it is obvious to all that government has a mental problem. Just when we were questioning government’s priorities when it comes to spending taxpayers’ money, then this.

Government is failing to provide medical supplies to hospitals, pay elderly grants on time, settle Phalala Fund debts because it owes South African hospitals and failing to pay its suppliers on time, among a lot of failures, but found that buying mobile showers was the best and wisest thing to do. This really left me flabbergasted.

We have now lost count of all the imprudent decisions that have been taken in the face of all the many pressing needs of this country. Who will ever forget one of the most irresponsible decisions; when the country was bedeviled by one of the most severe droughts in our history, with Swazis starving to death and their cattle perishing, government decided to lease a huge jet in order to revive the defunct Swazi Airways?

As usual, Swazis did not say much about this decision; after all it was our unique collective wisdom in motion. Swazis were given a date on which the Swazi Airways jet would make its maiden flight; it never happened.
Then another date was given but even this one went by without any maiden flight.

The last thing I heard was that the plane had been taken back to its owner because it was too big for the Swazi market.
When did government realise that the plane was too big for the Swazi market (if there was ever any in the first place)? When they bought or leased it, was it too small for the Swazi market?

Now we hear that a whole minister went to the border to welcome these mobile showers. Are they made of gold that government would spend E10 million and the minister be so excited to go to the border to welcome them? If the minister had gone there to welcome a truck load of medical supplies or fertiliser that would be understandable.

Well, as Swazis we can’t say much but watch as our unique collective wisdom is running at full throttle. Do you remember the many BMWs and motorbikes bought for the two-day SADC Summit that are now rotting somewhere? But in all this I see the hand of the Almighty.

He never brings down a sinful government without first forcing its leaders to make unwise decisions which will set the ball rolling down to the annals of history.

B B Nkosi

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