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By PHEPHILE MOTAU | 2024-10-11
LOBAMBA Lomdzala Member of Parliament (MP) Marwick Khumalo says people are surviving on boiled leaves because of hunger.
The MP was speaking at the House of Assembly on Wednesday during the debate on a motion directed to the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Thuli Dladla on when they would start food distribution to the hungry Emaswati.
In her response, Dladla said food would be availed to 13 of the most vulnerable constituencies. She added that more rice would arrive in the country, and it would be distributed to 250 households per constituency.
The sentiments of the MP were shared by the DPM. Khumalo said it was a fact that people were hungry. He said in their constituencies, people were calling everyday asking for food.
He said the contents of the DPM’s report were unacceptable as it was imperative that government reviewed the issue because Emaswati would accuse them of being uncaring.
“Unemployment rates have dramatically increased from 10 years ago and so have the poverty levels. People have lost their jobs more than in the past. We cannot then say food relief should be reduced,” he said.
Khumalo said the report was unacceptable, but the DPM should work with what she had. She said the process of distributing the food must be transparent and every MP should know what they would get to feed those in their constituencies.
Khumalo said the DPM should consider the matter when doing the supplementary budget.
“We are not being a welfare state, but it is our reality. People are boiling leaves, just to eat. The little we get must go to the people, but we want more, it is not enough,” Khumalo said.
He said he knew that the response of the DPM was based on available resources, but it was not even meeting half of the country’s requirements of food.
He said they did not think it was asking for too much when they asked government to buy food and they made an example that government previously did it for each and every constituency. He said at least 1 000 bags of maize and 500 bags of beans were provided.
He further said there was an outcry that government was not doing enough to help the hungry people.
Ngudzeni MP Charles Ndlovu also said it was painful to read the report as he wished to see Ngudzeni benefit as it was one of the poorest communities.
The DPM said what Khumalo had said about eating leaves just to survive was true. Dladla said she got what the MPs were saying everyday.
“I even wonder where I will take the food from because the little I had has been finished. Climate change is causing a lot of challenges, drought, floods. The need is a lot,” Dladla said.
She said on Sunday, she received an SMS from a 16-year-old boy who said he was working somewhere to try and buy food for his siblings as their father left them when the mother passed away. Dladla said two of the children from the family had dropped out of school.
“There is drought, there is poverty and then there is parents neglecting our children. There are many social ills over and above what we come across. I feel for the MPs because they are met with this reality every day,” she said.
Dladla said the vulnerability assessment committee showed the areas most affected by the drought.
“What we have now, the list of 13 constituencies which was given food by World Vision Taiwan.
The first phase has arrived in all 13 constituencies, through World Vision Eswatini,” she said.
She said there were 400 metric tonnes which had arrived and would benefit all constituencies. Dladla said they were expecting 2 000 more metric tonnes.
“One person will get three kilograms of rice, but over and above that, we have started ordering oil and beans. We have had a challenge with the shortage of beans.
We met with UN family and they were ordered, soon we will be distributing the food,” Dladla said.
She said they were also coming with long-term solutions.
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