HOW NATION LOST BID TO HOST AU CONFERENCE, AFCFTA

LOBAMBA - Eswatini allegedly lost its bid to host the African Union conference and the AfCFTA because of its non-affiliation to Mainland China.
This is the rumour that is making the  rounds and was raised by Matsanjeni North MP Phila Buthelezi and other legislators yesterday during the debate of the prime minister’s office budget debate for the first quarter performance report.

MP Buthelezi asked the Prime Minister, Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, to provide parliamentarians with the opportunity cost of continuing to stick with the Republic of China (Taiwan).

MP Buthelezi said although he was not part of the parliamentarians who had travelled to China he wanted to know what Eswatini benefitted from Taiwan and at what cost.  He said Mainland China had so much influence in Africa.  MP Buthelezi said the country had constructed the International Convention Centre (ICC) and Five Star Hotel (FISH) with the hope of hosting the AU, but this was not to be because China had all the influence at the AU as all the other African countries had ties with them.

“We also lost the bid to host the AfCFTA because the main affiliate to the trading is Mainland China,” said MP Buthelezi.
He asked what Taiwan had done for Eswatini and if this outweighed the benefits the country could get from China.

 Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo also said the country lost the hosting of the AU rights because of this issue.  He wondered for how long the country would ignore things or changes that were happening around it and pretend as if it did not bother us.
MP Khumalo said things would not happen for Eswatini at the Africa stage because there was the view that the country had chosen what was called a province of China yet the United Nations recognised China.

Example

He made an example that the previous government led by PM Barnabas Dlamini had in the past been adamant that the issue of legalising dagga would never be considered in the country.
He said however MPs persevered and travelled to America and other countries in pursuit of the dagga issue until this stage.

Khumalo said he was not stating that Eswatini should leave Taiwan, but he was looking at the bigger picture of the economy.
The legislators submitted that the country also traded with China a lot and that many emaSwati travelled there.

“Even the Taiwanese trade with China and they fly there for business why should Eswatini then suffer?” asked Khumalo.  He stated that a lot of emaSwati travelled to China for business and some had not even been to Taiwan save for government officials.

Motshane MP Robert Magongo minced no words when he said China had a lot of money and in siSwati he told the PM that “icitsiwe imali lapha”. The MP said they visited about five cities and they had paid for the trips themselves.
He advised government to stop looking at who had travelled there, but consider the benefits.
The PM is expected to submit written responses on the questions raised.

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