By Zweli Martin Dlamini

King Mswati has been claiming to be securing investors for the past thirty(30) years but, the lives of emaSwati have been deteriorating only for him to emerge as a billionaire.

It should be noted that, in this country, about seventy percent(70%) of the population lives below the poverty line but, taxpayers spend billions annually, funding the King’s international trips.

In this regard, some of the King’s trips automatically become useless in the eyes of the public as these investors benefit him in his personal capacity and by extension, the royal family.

Indeed some of us have been in the media for twenty(20) years now, and we have been writing about the King securing foreign investors.

But the life of the ordinary Liswati is worsening and, this country is becoming the face of poverty in the eyes of the international community.

Well, let me be fair, the King worked very hard establishing diplomatic relations with other countries and as a result, some emaSwati subsequently benefitted through scholarships and job opportunities.

The King further established some development funds that include the R44million that resulted in the establishment of the Eswatini Development Finance Corporation (FINCORP).

This is commendable but overshadowed by the fact that, King Mswati subsequently developed a culture of stealing public funds and, using the Sovereignty of this country to secure foreign investments for personal gain.

The King has a tendency of securing investments while on State visits and then demands shares from these investors.

MTN Eswatini established business in this country and subsequently collected more money from the public through expensive calls and data.

It’s a known fact that, part of the money went to King Mswati who holds ten(10%) shares and referred to as the esteemed shareholder in the mobile company’s shareholding structure.

It’s time we ask ourselves as a country, why do have such a large number of emaSwati living in poverty but Government is spending more money on the King’s international trips that subsequently benefit him.

I am not saying the King must stop traveling, as a Head of State he must attend United Nations(UN) meetings and visit other countries to strengthen diplomatic relations but,the delegation must be reduced and, the secured investments must benefit emaSwati.

We have Government Gazettes in this country, allowing these so called King’s investors to pay emaSwati as little as two thousands Rands(R2000.00) and allegations are rife suggesting that, these foreign companies are underpaying emaSwati so that they can generate profits to be shared with Mswati.

Well, if this allegation is not true, then the question is; why is the King allowing these companies to abuse emaSwati in his name?.

It is important to state that, in this country we have a serious poverty crisis, emaSwati are made to work hard in the textile industry, construction, security, hospitality, public service, health and other sectors of the economy but, the money is not reaching their pockets.

Foreign investors must not be granted a five(5)-year tax exemption, they must pay tax immediately and, that money will then be used to increase salaries for civil servants and enhance social and economic development.

Furthermore, the textile investors or the so called “tinini teNkhosi” must at least pay around five thousand Rands(R5000.00) as salaries for textile workers.

This will enable the Eswatini Revenue Service(ERS) to collect tax from the workers through Pay as You Earn(PAYE) and the standard of living for these employees will improve.

We can’t secure foreign investments that contribute nothing to public coffers or the economy, what are the investors here for, to feed King Mswati and make him a billionaire?.

Foreign Direct Investments(FDIs) are very important in transforming the economy that’s why as a journalist I don’t want to be seen discouraging investors because I fully understand the significance of FDIs.

In fact as a country we must allocate more money to the Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority(EIPA) so that, the entity could secure more foreign investments.

But once the investors arrive here, Government must ensure that emaSwati enjoy the foreign investments through decent salaries, the country must also benefit through taxes so that we can build roads, have drugs in public hospitals and further fund other social services in the public interest.

We can’t be granting investors a five-year tax exemption in the name of “improving the ease of doing business”, the purpose of securing foreign investments is to improve the economy and the standard of living for the citizens.

Indeed, if this fundamental objective is defeated by political greediness then the Foreign Direct Investments automatically become useless.

King Mswati as a Head of State must know that, when traveling to other countries of course, using public funds, the secured foreign investments must benefit emaSwati and the entire country.