By Zweli Martin Dlamini

The fiscal framework that forms part of the Government development agenda seems to be implemented in a manner that seeks to blind the people, offering jobs whose remuneration undermines human dignity.

It should be noted that, the fundamental purpose of seeking employment is to improve your life and if this purpose is not achieved during the course of the employment, then the job automatically becomes useless.

Indeed, an employee earning a low salary is worse than an unemployed person because, the costs of waking-up in the morning, pay public transport, rent a house, buy food and other basic necessities of life only to be paid ‘peanuts’, worsen the life of that particular worker.

In this country we have Government Gazettes empowering companies to underpay workers, emaSwati were gazetted into a cheap labour by the Tinkhundla undemocratic, corrupt and oppressive regime that claims to be fighting poverty.

When formulating these Loan Bills, emaSwati are normally told about the creation of jobs and, nothing is said about the low wages paid to the eSwatini workers.

It should be noted that, it’s the Government that allows investors to abuse emaSwati and pay them low salaries only for the Tinkhundla undemocratic regime to donate food to the masses, pretending to be a caring Government.

As the situation stands, the country is securing loans but King Mswati’s extravagant lifestyle funded with taxpayers money continues, this country will never develop with such political parasites.

Government must strengthen revenue collection by providing resources to the Eswatini Revenue Service(ERS), reduce royal budget and then allocate more money to development projects that seek to improve the lives of poor emaSwati in the rural, urban and semi-urban areas across the country.

The Taiwan R5.2billion Strategic Oil Reserve Project is another disguised project, it’s actually a conduit for rampant looting of public funds but emaSwati were told that, the project will create jobs.

Now we have the R2.5billion Siphofaneni-Siphambanweni road to be funded with a loan sourced from the African Development Bank(AfDB), construction companies owned by emaSwati have been systematically sidelined from benefiting from this project.

It is surprising to note that, this country seems to be busy with projects that will benefit a few being the rich, influential and politically connected.

But it is the duty of the Government to negotiate the relaxation of the African Development Bank loan conditions so that, construction companies owned by emaSwati could qualify.

The ridiculous amount of R45million demanded in order for a company to qualify for the R2.5billion road tender is systematically meant to sideline emaSwati from benefiting.

We can’t have such huge projects and then turn emaSwati into spectators, watching while those with foreign connections enjoy State resources while emaSwati live in squalor.

Finance Minister Neal Rijikernberg must analyse if the country’s fiscal framework will achieve the social and economic aspirations of emaSwati.

We cannot be told that, “these are conditions from the African Development Bank loan”, this loan will be paid by emaSwati and therefore, the conditions must be negotiated so that, construction companies owned by emaSwati could benefit.

But even if we can have quality roads and multibillion Strategic Oil Reserve, we cannot conclude that eSwatini is developing if emaSwati are financially broke with local companies shutting down after being sidelined from participating and benefiting from such projects.

We must build quality roads while empowering the citizens financially with business and job opportunities so that, they can drive beautiful cars and use these roads to move from one place to another and enhance economic activity.

Personally, I am not convinced that we have a Government with a political desire to promote social and economic development for the benefit of the people but, this is just a corrupt gang of thieves led by Mswati and using the Sovereignty of our country as a ‘collateral’ to secure loans for the benefit of the rich, powerful and politically connected.