Swazi Observer

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ESWATINI AMONG AFRICA'S WORST GOVERNED NATIONS

By SIBUSISO DLAMINI | 2024-05-06

Eswatini is among the top 10 worst-governed nations in Africa, according to World Economics, a respected UK-based research organisation.

The United Nations defines good governance as the process where public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources in a manner that promotes the rule of law and the realisation of human rights (civil, political, economic, social and cultural).

The good governance ranking, according to the organisation, is assessed through four main indexes; corruption perception, rule of law, press freedom, and political rights, with each of them given equal weight.

The comprehensive assessment of the governance dynamics expose glaring deficiencies across these benchmarks and systemic issues hindering progress and development in the country, from rampant corruption and political instability to a disregard for the rule of law.

The Index numbers are all rebased and shown on a scale of 0-100.
Governance Grade: A = Very good, B = Good, C = Average, D = Poor, E = Very poor. Corruption Perception: 0 = Bad, 100 = Good, Rule of Law: 0 = Low rule of law, 100 = High rule of law, Press Freedom: 0 = Low press freedom, 100 = High press freedom and Political Rights: 0 = Low political rights, 100 = High political rights. The grade definitions are as follows: A = Very good, B = Good, C = Average, D = Poor, E = Very poor.

Eswatini has a governance grade of E and a dismal index score of 30.5, alongside the likes of Zimbabwe with a governance grade of E as well and an index score of 29.5 as well as Egypt with a governance grade of E as well and an index score of 28.8.

At the bottom of the ranking is Libya with a grade of E and an index of 15.4. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) comes ahead also with grade E and an index of 21.6 and Chad is placed ahead of DRC with an index of 23.2.

Mauritius, Namibia, South Africa and Botswana lead the pack as the best governed countries, with governance scores of 69.3, 6.1, 65.5, and 65.1, respectively.

Their corruption levels, however, are way above Eswatini’s ones, as the country stands at 33.3, while Botswana’s one is about twice that at 65.6, Mauritius at 55.7, Namibia at 54.4 and South Africa at 45.6.

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On the global space, Denmark, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, and Sweden ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th respectively. Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ireland, Luxembourg, Canada, Germany, Iceland Estonia, Australia, and the United Kingdom follow.

Public Sector Associations who represent civil servants in various sectors said the index’s findings were believable to them as its findings was a lived experience for them, emphasising that a majority of their issues stem from bad governance.

“There are no lies to that at all because working with government exposes poor governance on a daily and it is incredibly frustrating,” said Swaziland National Association of Government Accounting Personnel (SNAGAP) Secretary, Phumzile Masilela, reacting to the Index.

“There's no transparency, no respect for workers' rights, and even the law is disregarded,” she added, emphasising the frustrations encountered within government's operations.
She complained of corruption within government and said it had planted an attitude and spirit of incompetency.

“There are people who do as they please because they are connected, and once you try to be vocal about it, you are ostracised and victimised, which is bad governance of the highest order,” she stated. Masilela also accused government of bad communication, and shone light on the fact that the country could not chart a path towards inclusive growth and development without concerted efforts towards comprehensive governance reform.

“Until we commit to that, the new era of prosperity and stability will remain nothing but a pipe dream,” she said, further speaking against the introduction of the Performance Management System (PMS) without provision of working tools.

Similarly, President of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), Mbongwa Dlamini, said the Index was a true reflection of the country, calling to attention the pervasive corruption in the nation and its impact on the education sector. “Nothing is transparent, from the hiring of teachers to promotions, so imagine what that does to the spirit of the professionals in the profession, let alone the learning process when educators have to teach while dispirited,” he quipped.

Dlamini warned that it is high time the government realises that bad governance has far-reaching consequences, in particular on critical sectors such as education.

“One then wonders what will become of the next generation if we are already stepping on their rights to quality education, where citizens, who are already languishing in debt because of ridiculous salaries, are forced to send their children to private school because we did not want to follow the basic rules of good governance?” he said.

The revelation of Eswatini’s governance woes comes in a week when the US Senate passed Resolution 174, which condemns government for human rights abuses and warns of potential sanctions.

Led by Senators Chris Coons, Jim Risch, and Cory Booker, the resolution urges government to transparently investigate the murder of human rights activist Thulani Maseko, cease harassment of human rights activists, uphold human rights, and engage in dialogue for reform.
It also calls for UN investigation and US support for journalists and advocates.

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