TOWNS, MUNICIPALITIES DIRECTED TO ERECT ‘HALLELUJAH’ BILLBOARDS

MBABANE – All towns and municipalities have been directed to ensure that billboards illuminating ‘Hallelujah’ as the prominent praise word within their jurisdictional areas are erected.

The directive was issued by Prince Simelane, who is the Minister of Housing and Urban Development. Through the directive dated September 14, 2021, written to all chairpersons of councils and Boards, the minister said pursuant to His Majesty King Mswati III’s call and command, that the country should flight signs and boards whose face must illuminate the praise word Hallelujah, he was directing all towns and municipalities to do likewise. “All erected billboards and signs including postings on advertisement digital platforms must be at conspicuous places within the jurisdictional area of the town or municipality,” stated the minister.

Prince Simelane said such places could include intersections of major road entry or exit points within the urban boundary.  “This directive further states that the plighted ‘Hallelujah’ message should stay for a period of at least a month from the date of His Majesty’s speech of September 6, 2021,” said the minister. He further advised councils and Boards to be creative in the design and aesthetics of the billboards and signs. On September 6, 2021, which was also the country’s 53rd Independence Day, which coincided with the Reconstruction Fund Launch, during his speech, the King said Hallelujah must be sung and written everywhere in the country.  

While delivering this message, the King broke into the song Hallelujah with the assistance of a choir and invited the attendees of the launch to join him in song. He said the message was from God and that spreading of the Hallelujah message should be done for a period of not less than a month, which meant it should continue until October 6, 2021. He said the Hallelujah should be written and shouted in all corners of the country from royal residences, chiefdoms, homes, Parliament, churches, streets and all roads. His Majesty said like the children of Israel who were instructed to have signs of blood on their doors, emaSwati would be protected from all the demons. He encouraged others to even go beyond the month in using the word Hallelujah and said even with COVID-19, God would assist the country.  

The King said in this regard, God would continue to bless the nation. He said this was the message from God following the three-day fast, which he had called him last month, worked for the country as God would answer the prayers. He said he had a message from God for emaSwati especially since God heard their cries from Heaven. “The fasting was for peace in the country, COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS and the lack of employment in the country,” he said. The King said after the Holy Communion had been taken it was clear that God had heard the prayers because it begun to rain and that was a clear sign that God had heard the prayers. He informed the about 200 attendees that when he last addressed the nation at the Mandvulo Grand Hall in 2019, he said his message to the nation was to keep it moving.

Meanwhile, a majority of the councils and Boards received the communication yesterday and said they were already looking for quotations in order to set up some of the signs and billboards. “Yes, we are running around looking for quotations,” said one of the council members from one of the towns. Communications Officer in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development Lungelo Nkambule confirmed that the communication was from the ministry. Other institutions which have already heeded the King’s call include some magistrates courts, police stations, Eswatini TV and some parastatals that have put up the message on their websites and social media pages.

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