Swazi Observer

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ACTING PM BANS PETITION RALLIES

By PHEPHILE MOTAU | 2021-06-25

GOVERNMENT has stopped delivery of petitions to tinkhundla centres with immediate effect. This was announced by the Acting Prime Minister Themba Nhlanganiso Masuku during a press conference at the Cabinet offices yesterday.

Masuku said these protests had degenerated into disorder and violent scenes in several instances, putting the lives of citizens, public and private property in danger. “We have seen some protesters deliberately provoking the police who have continued to restrain themselves under serious provocation and attacks,” he said.

Masuku said his kind of unruly behaviour was unacceptable and could not be allowed to continue without consequences. He added that the full might of the law would take effect to anyone who would continue to ignore the rule of law.

“There will be zero tolerance for all who will break the Public Order Act and the obtaining COVID-19 Regulations,” Masuku said. He said it was disheartening to observe the flagrant disregard of the rule of law, the result of which has been the breach of the Constitution, Public Order Act 2017 and the COVID-19 Regulations as variated from time to time.

He added that they had observed protesters deliberately ignoring COVID-19 regulations thus threatening their own lives and those of others. “Our Tinkhundla system, as encapsulated in the Constitution, ably provides the structures and procedures to be followed when raising concerns at community or constituency level.

Delivering petitions is not one of them,” the APM said. He said it had become apparent that this exercise had created a breeding ground for anarchy and had been intentionally hijacked to sow seeds of division among emaswati in complete disregard of public safety, the rule of law and COVID-19 Regulations.

Masuku said this came at a time when the country was at the brink of a third wave of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. structures He added that the nation was built on a collective agreement called the Constitution and other traditional structures that have served the country well for centuries. “The Constitution is a home grown document which was adopted by Emaswati after years of extensive consultations,” he said.

Masuku said this national document served to guide the country’s way of engaging on issues as a nation in an orderly, civil and lawful manner. “We are all bound by its provisions and guidelines. This is a Kingdom that believes in dialogue when addressing the challenges that confront us in order to peacefully surge forward in unity and cohesion,” he said.

He added that it was the bedrock upon which the country’s governance and progression as an economy has rested for hundreds of years. Masuku said it defined the nation, a people who respect one another and respect the institutions that serve to unite Emaswati as they rallied the nation towards peace and prosperity.

“It is, therefore, incumbent upon all of us to respect the values and ethos of our great nation which are not only mounted in the respect for each other, but respect for the rule of law and orderly consultation where we have differing views,” he said.

Masuku said a country without the rule of law could not develop socially, economically and politically. He added that the rule of law played a fundamental role in affording citizens the opportunity to work and live safe and thrive in their daily endeavours.

“This is what has kept this country united and afforded us the opportunity to develop and transform our economy to a level that improves the lives of all emaswati in spite of the challenges that continue to afflict the world,” Masuku said.

He stated that they were alive to public concerns of lack of adequate jobs and service delivery anxieties, among others, which are by and large a global concern. interventions “These are issues that government has always taken on board hence we have put in place several strategies and interventions to address them within the constraints of our budget.

“However, what we are seeing of late are elements that have hijacked these concerns to further their own agenda, mainly to shake the foundations that define this country with an intention to achieve regime change,” he said.

Masuku added that the nation should always be cognisant of the fact that police serve to maintain law and order, and to protect the nation, including their property, from criminals who induce fear andcommit heinous crimes such as murder, rape, armed robbery, house-breaking, among others.

“All political systems have checks and balances set intentionally to maintain law and order, and none of them allow uncontrolled and violent engagements,” Masuku said.

He said government remained receptive to all concerns raised by the public through the appropriate forums and in full compliance with the law, in particular the Public Order Act and COVID-19 Regulations.

“Our Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and fully embraces orderly consultation and engagement. “Government is committed to enhancing service delivery efforts which have been derailed since last year with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We continue to see through job creation projects in line with the Government Strategic Roadmap and the Post COVID-19 Economic Recovery Plan and we are already seeing some positive results in the midst of global challenges with over 18 000 jobs created since 2018.

“We are forging ahead with a number of service delivery projects such as fixing our road infrastructure, provision of water and electricity to communities and facilitating the creation of more jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities, especially for our youth, in full collaboration with the private sector,” Masuku said.

The acting prime minister responding to questions from members of the media, said organisations who wished to deliver petitions could get permission in accordance with the Public Order Act, and further ensure that they follow the COVID-19 regulations which currently state that public gatherings outside are restricted to only 100 people.

In relation to the petitions which have already been delivered, Masuku said all the concerns were known to them, and were being worked on through portfolio committees. He said they had already been working on the issues before the petition delivery.

...........................govt to review covid-19 regulations

GOVERNMENT is in the process of reviewing COVID-19 regulations and they will be announced next week. Acting Prime Minister Themba Masuku said they had a duty to protect Emaswati from this rampaging virus and save lives.

“The rise of COVID-19 infections is of great concern to His Majesty’s government. Every responsible liswati has to stand up to the challenge and adhere fully to the COVID-19 prevention regulations and protocols and avoid any situation that tends to expose them to a risk of infection,” he said.

succession

Masuku said on Wednesday, the country recorded the highest number of new infections in three months for the second day in succession, signalling that the country was edging dangerously close to another uncontrollable outbreak. “As we move in full steam to transform lives, we have to continuously confront unplanned challenges like the recent shortage of drugs reported in our health facilities,” he said.

He emphasised that that these shortages, spread across the region and continent, were due to a limited supply of drugs from manufacturers who were severely affected by the global restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19. “We have intensified our efforts to source these drugs from all available markets in the world and through pooled platforms like the UNICEF in order to sufficiently replenish our supplies,” Masuku said.

He added that government had adequate funds to purchase these medicinal commodities to meet the country’s demand. Masuku said these shortages were not linked to budgetary constraints but supply challenges.

“While the world and the Kingdom of Eswatini continue to grapple with the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic which has plunged many global economies into severe strain, we remain committed to not losing sight and pace of our primary mandate - to uplift the lives of all emaswati and attain sustainable economic development, peace and prosperity,” Masuku concluded.

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