EZULWINI – Prime Minister Russell Dlamini says the Tinkhundla system of Government is misunderstood.
Dlamini shared a few tenets of the system, labelling it a unique form of democracy, otherwise known as monarchical democracy.
The PM shared that the people of Eswatini are deliberate about their system of governance, that it must merge the good from the western system with the good from its traditional system.
“We are, therefore, not apologetic about Tinkhundla, our system. There are widespread misconceptions that our system lacks the tenets of democracy. This cannot be further from the truth,” he said.
Dlamini revealed that the Tinkhundla system, modelled around the British county system which uses the First Past the Post voting system, combines the best elements of the western form of democracy with the country’s own traditional values and beliefs.
Through the country’s democracy, Dlamini mentioned that individuals are directly voted for, based on merit and elected representatives then work collectively for the nation under the head of State, who provides stability and continuity.
“Eswatini is a constitutional monarchy that observes all the tenets of democracy. A majority of emaSwati are at peace with our system of governance as observed with the peace and stability we continue to enjoy as a country, compared to other States in the region and the continent,” said Dlamini.
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… invites SA investors to explore Special Economic Zones
EZULWINI – Prime Minister Russell Dlamini has invited South African investors to explore the country’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs).
These are geographically designated areas within a country where business and trade laws differ from the rest of the country to promote economic growth. Dlamini highlighted that Eswatini’s business environment continues to evolve with resilience and dynamism.
Despite being a small, land-linked economy, the PM mentioned that Eswatini has built a diversified industrial base supported by strong institutions, a stable macroeconomic framework and an investor-friendly policy environment.
The PM revealed that in 2023, Eswatini’s economy grew by nearly five per cent - a strong performance for a small land-linked economy.
“The key pillars of Eswatini’s economy, which include agriculture and agro-processing, manufacturing, tourism, mining, energy, infrastructure, IT and education - continue to offer growing opportunities for both domestic and foreign investors. We are looking for serious investors that will find a home in our beautiful kingdom and are ready to partner with serious mega investors,” he said.
He elaborated that investment opportunities are bound in sectors such as mining and energy, agriculture and agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, innovation and technology, education and others.
“We are looking for investments in clean energy technology to produce at least 1 000MW of energy as a minimum baseload to catalyse industrialisation in the country. Currently, Eswatini has two Special Economic Zones, with an industrial park at Sidvokodvo and an innovation and business park to be developed with the support of the Republic of China, Taiwan, both in the pipeline,” said the PM.
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BE calls for faster one-stop border post implementation
EZULWINI – Business Eswatini (BE) has called for the accelerated completion of the long-awaited Ngwenya–Oshoek One-Stop Border Post.
Speaking during the meeting between Eswatini and South Africa, BE Vice President for Trade and Commerce, Anthony Geldard, said South African enterprises continue to play a central role in Eswatini’s industrial and financial landscape, while Eswatini businesses supply goods, services and expertise to South African markets.
He said these cross-border linkages have been vital in driving innovation, employment and economic growth on both sides.
Geldard noted that Business Eswatini, working in partnership with Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), is implementing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening structured cooperation between the two business communities.
The MoU focuses on improving bilateral trade relations, sharing market intelligence and enhancing advocacy on issues affecting cross-border investment and competitiveness.
“Our private sector views this partnership as an instrument for tangible outcomes, including joint industrial initiatives, supplier development programmes and collaborative capacity-building for SMEs,” he said.
Despite these challenges, Geldard expressed confidence in the progress already made through cross-border cooperation. He cited examples such as the Coca-Cola value chain linking Eswatini and South Africa, the synergy between the sugar and refinery sectors, the strong presence of South African banks in Eswatini and emerging joint ventures in renewable energy and logistics.
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EMI enquires on FMD solution, minister cites fences
MBABANE – Embiveni Meat Industries (EMI) has raised urgent concerns with Agriculture Minister Mandla Tshawuka about foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which threatens the nation’s vital beef export markets.
EMI Managing Director, Phindile Matsebula, enquired from the minister on possible collaborative measures that can be explored between Eswatini and South Africa, to eradicate the FMD outbreak so that local markets can go back to exporting beef.
She highlighted that Botswana and Namibia cannot sufficiently supply the European Union (EU) beef market.
“My question is simply to establish what measures are there to help the situation and when are we possibly going to bounce back into the market,” she enquired.
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