NEW PM’S HEADACHE: TO DEAL WITH COLA

MBABANE – The appointment of a new prime minister (PM) means a lot of different things for various people; for trade unionists, it means cost-of-living talks will soon resume.

Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini said when their strike was stopped; the reason was the absence of proper government officials to release finances from the consolidation fund.

Sikelela said they hoped in the next two weeks, the issue of the 6.5 per cent cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA) they were demanding would be sorted. Sikelela said they hoped the new Prime Minister, Ambrose Dlamini, would rise to the occasion.

Sikelela clarified that as workers, they did not have any political ally and their primary expectation from the new premier was service delivery.
He recalled that the King said he wanted someone who would work at a high pace. He said this would be guaranteed if the new PM listened to what people said and consulted on a way forward.

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Swaziland Democratic Nurses Association (SWADNU) President Bheki Mamba said it was a must that salaries be reviewed as they had not been for the past two years. Mamba said it was paramount for Ambrose to have workers on his side if he was to bring economic reforms. He advised him to communicate with workers and give them hope that government was doing something about their salaries.

Mamba said they were expecting the PM to come up with economic reform strategies which would convince the world that he would change the economy for the better. He said as things stood, government could not adequately fund education and health systems. He said the premier had the challenge to revive the economy so the two services could be sufficiently provided.

Mamba said the premier would be tested by his ability to consult with the people and relevant stakeholders, in particular, trade unions. He said it remained to be seen whether he would have an open door policy and do away with bureaucratic channels. He stated that to revive the economy, he had to open his door to consultation.

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From private sector to national politics, the newly-appointed PM should brace himself for an industrial action by SNAT which was to be held in September but was postponed by the court to November 23.
Being PM means a person is head of government business and all ministries report to him. In essence, this means the buck stops with the PM as all ministries report to him.

During Sibaya, many of the submissions made by the public sent a clear message that there was a rising concern about corruption in the country and the next PM should deal with it decisively. Ambrose has to find corruption combating strategies which will put the public at ease while at the same time, ensure that no public funds are lost to this crime.

Some speakers at Sibaya mentioned that there were more than necessary ministries and a cut down was needed. It was mentioned that this may come with job losses but it was necessary as there was a similarity in the mandates of some ministries. Ambrose and his Cabinet will have to consider merging some ministries keeping in mind the aspect of job losses.

Unemployment is one of the challenges faced by the country. The Demographic Dividend Study Report of 2017 puts unemployment at 28 per cent with the majority of the affected people being the youth. Ambrose has the task to look into how job opportunities could be availed to ensure that locals have buying power and contribute to the economy.

With positive economic growth, government could ensure that social services, such as elderly grants, are provided on time. Currently, government is failing to consistently provide social grants to the elderly. It also cannot provide grants to people with disabilities. This is another task the new government has to ensure it addresses so as to ensure that social services are provided on time to eligible emaSwati.

For a person to be regarded as a liSwati, they must have among other things a national identity card. Currently, some children reach primary schools without having the cards or birth certificates due to various factors. Attempts to register pupils in various schools around the country were made last year but there remains the need to ensure that all children are registered at birth to avoid having locals not accessing social services due to not having proof of citizenship.
Proof of citizenship is one of the requirements needed for pupils to register for free primary education.

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