PERMITS INCREASE BY 50%, VENDORS CRY FOUL

MBABANE – “Why us?” This rhetorical question was posed by vendors and hawkers to Mbabane Municipal Council, after being told that permits have been increased by 50 per cent.

Approximately 100 vendors, mostly women, staged a protest action outside the Council’s premises, yesterday.
They were demanding answers on why the permit fees had been increased from E100 to E150.

Some of the entrepreneurs interviewed wondered why the increase was effected because government had requested belt tightening from all emaSwati due to the financial challenge faced by the country.

These sentiments were also shared by the President of Butimba BemaSwati Isaac Masumbuka, who said their main clients, civil servants, were still engaging government for a cost-of-living adjustment.
Once the prevailing financial situation normalises, Masumbuka said they were ready to pay the increased fees.
He acknowledged that they were once engaged by the Council about the 50 per cent, but nothing conclusive was agreed upon.

“If the Council insists on the increase with fees – they should continue to charge us E120, which was gazetted. Seemingly, the council does not want to charge the gazetted fee of E120 but the E150,” he alleged while walking into a meeting with the Council management.
Journalists were barred from being part of the meeting, which was held at the council’s chambers.
Outside, the women who had braved the cold weather sang and danced while carrying placards which had different messages directed to the municipal.
Some would periodically poke fun at security guards who were monitoring the situation.
About 10 police officers were seen standing at strategic points, monitoring the situation.

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