Swaziland’s public finances are in such a mess that
bank statements have been miscalculated by more than E7 billion. Government
Ministries are engaging in fraud and breaking laws. These are some of the
conclusions of the annual Auditor’s General report. The Minister of Finance
Martin Dlamini in the national budget says the kingdom can only spend on
priorities. Then, he sets aside E5.5 million for a retirement home for the
unelected Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini and another E1.5 billion for a
conference centre.
Meanwhile, international donors are paying to stop
children from starvation.
These are some of the stories in Swaziland: Striving for Freedom. Vol 29, January to
March 2018, the latest quarterly compilation of posts from Swazi Media
Commentary website. It
is available to download free-of-charge from Scribd.
The kingdom, ruled by autocratic monarch King Mswati
III, is gearing up to mark his 50th birthday which falls in the same
year as Swaziland’s 50th anniversary of Independence from Great
Britain. Money intended for retired people and the disabled has been taken to
help pay for the festivities. Public services such as health and education are
grinding to a halt because the government has not paid bills to suppliers.
Meanwhile, Swaziland continues to repress
political dissent and disregard human rights and the rule of law, the latest
international reports on freedom in the kingdom reveal.
Swazi
Media Commentary is published online, updated most
weekdays. It is operated entirely by volunteers and receives no financial
backing from any organisation. It is devoted to providing information and
commentary in support of human rights in Swaziland.
See also
SWAZILAND
NEAR LAST FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
SWAZILAND
UPDATE ON HUMAN RIGHTS
A
DECADE OF NEWS AND VIEWS
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