Statement at the Conclusion of an IMF Article IV Mission to Swaziland

MBABANE, Swaziland, December 3, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Press Release No. 09/440


An International Monetary Fund (IMF) staff team led by Norbert Toé visited Mbabane during November 18–December 2 to conduct the 2009 Article IV Consultation with Swaziland. The mission’s work focused on policies needed to restore fiscal sustainability, preserve macroeconomic and financial stability, and spur economic growth. The mission met with Minister of Finance Hon. Majozi V. Sithole, Central Bank Governor Martin G. Dlamini, members of the Cabinet and the Finance Committee of Parliament. The mission met also other senior government officials, members of the donor community, the private sector, and civil society.


At the end of the mission, Mr. Toé, Mission Chief for Swaziland, issued the following statement today in Mbabane:


“Since the last Article IV consultation a little more than a year ago, Swaziland has been grappling with the impact of the 2008 oil and food crisis and the global economic crisis of 2009. The latter has led to a significant drop in transfers from the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), which in the context of high spending levels, is posing serious risk to medium-term fiscal sustainability. Economic activity remains sluggish in 2009 with GDP growth estimated at 0.4 percent. Inflation continues to moderate as food and fuel prices trend downwards, and is expected to be around 5 percent by year-end.


“The economic outlook is subject to downside risks stemming from the uncertainty about the strength of the global recovery, particularly in South Africa which is destination to more than half of Swaziland’s exports, the phasing-out of preferential agreements, the sustainability of structural reforms to foster competitiveness and improve the business environment. The mission welcomes the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Commission and the recent passage by parliament of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority Bill. It encourages the authorities to accelerate the adoption of other pending legislation to further strengthen the financial system, improve the regulatory environment, and promote private-sector led growth.


“The key challenge going forward is for the authorities to address the emerging large fiscal deficits by building public support for the necessary adjustments. This is all the more necessary as the financing of persistent high fiscal deficits and the ensuing reserve losses could undermine confidence in the current monetary arrangement and result in unsustainable debt levels. Consequently, the mission urges the authorities to embark without delay on a fiscal adjustment path focused on expenditure cuts. In particular, the recent across-the-board salary increases, which are unsustainable given the sharp and permanent drop in SACU revenue, need to be revisited. Mobilizing more domestic resources through a strengthening of taxpayers’ compliance and a broadening of the tax base is essential for the fiscal consolidation efforts. Improving the quality of spending and strengthening public financial management to shift resources to critical social programs, including investment in human capital and expenditures that foster economic growth are also needed.


“The IMF stands ready to continue to assist the authorities in developing their policy response to enable the Swazi economy to weather this unprecedented deterioration in the fiscal position and put the country on a sustained growth path.


“The mission would like to thank the authorities for their excellent cooperation.”

Source:appablog.wordpress.com/

Universal Access And Human Rights’THEME to be launched in SWAZILAND

Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment and care: assessing the inclusion of human rights is the World AIDS Day theme for 2009.
This year’s commemoration is special since it marks the 21st Anniversary of World AIDS Day (WAD). Since 1988 when Health Ministers from around the world gathered to dedicate a special day of solidarity to fight against HIV and AIDS a lot has been achieved. And at the same time, we have to admit that a lot still needs to be done.
On Tuesday, December 1, 2009, the Kingdom of Swaziland will be commemorating the WAD 2009 at the Siteki Sports Ground to renew commitment to the struggle against HIV as well as determination and belief in stopping HIV and AIDS through unity along with rigorous efforts.
This will be a significant event which in itself will be seen to be signifying support of the WAD 2009 objectives by the government and social partners.
This WAD will also be a reminder to all the people of Swaziland that HIV and AIDS is a national challenge, and that there is need to work collectively to reduce the socio-economic devastation brought about by AIDS. As the theme touches on issues of rights and access for every Swazi to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, it will make all of us remember that many children are orphans because of this disease. It will also remind us of the unacceptable trend of child-headed families that result from this. Labadzala batsi intsandzane lenhle ngumakhotfwa ngunina.
Consequently, mothers are challenged to look after children who have lost parents. While specifying the role of women in this regard, we must hasten to urge all members of communities men, women and youth in different sectors to practise the same towards child-headed families.
The current situation in the country throws a challenge on each and everyone to become a provider in addressing this challenge. Remember that the values of our culture teach us that any child is your child. Everyone should be asking what I am doing to stop the spread of this disease; what assistance am I extending to children who are orphans and child-headed families. In terms of our everyday conduct, it begins with simple things like upholding a message that says ‘orphans’ which means examine yourself to ensure that your actions have a ‘love yourself’ outcome.
Global perspective of the WAD2009 theme
World AIDS Campaign and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) have come together to announce the theme of ‘Universal Access and Human Rights’ seeing the need to address the critical need to protect human rights and attain access for all to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. The theme in itself also acts as a call to countries to remove laws that discriminate against people living with HIV, women and marginalised groups. The theme challenges countries and also urges them to realise the many commitments they made to protect human rights in the Declaration of Commitment on HIV and AIDS in 2001 and the Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS made in 2006.
Achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support is a human rights imperative as observed by Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. It is essential that the global response to the AIDS epidemic is grounded in human rights and that discrimination and punitive laws against those most affected by HIV are removed.
Many countries still have laws and policies that impede access to HIV services and criminalise those most vulnerable to HIV. These include laws that criminalise men who have sex with men, trans-gendered people and lesbians; laws that criminalise sex workers; and laws criminalising people who use drugs and the harm reduction measures and substitution therapy they need.
Key documents reveal that 84 countries have reported that they have laws and policies that act as obstacles to effective HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for vulnerable populations.
Governments continue to pass and enforce overly-broad laws that criminalise the transmission of HIV which are in direct contradiction to their commitments to “promote…. a social and legal environment that is supportive of safe and voluntary disclosure of HIV status.”
Some 59 countries still have laws that restrict the entry, stay and residence of people living with HIV based on their positive HIV status only, discriminating against them in their freedom of movement and right to work.
At the same time, laws and regulations protecting people with HIV from discrimination and women from gender inequality and sexual violence are not fully implemented or enforced.
For us in Swaziland the theme ‘…the Human Rights’ is about us, about communities, about people like you and me and our governments to make commitments to honour and respect the dignity of the vulnerable and those already living with HIV.

Source:observer.org.sz/

Swazi film offends Asians in Swaziland

Swazi film offends Asians in Swaziland
Sir,

I was offended to see praise in your newspaper from Europe about a particular Swazi film commentary that appeared in Europe. I was alerted to watch this by a relative in Sweden.

If the film was just about nationalism, I would have agreed that they really made a stunning case for Swaziland nationalism.

But it was a strongly political agenda maybe more so because of elections in Netherlands in 2010.
I would expect the racist Europeans to praise that commentary especially since the film made strong points for their Dutch politician, Geert Wilders but what shocks me is that if this was made by Europeans who are always racist I would understand, but this was made by Swazis who even spoke SiSwati.

These Swazis in pandering to their European masters and no doubt spurred by Walter Bennett made some despicable implication in the commentary that Asians are invading Swaziland.
Even a six month-old Swazi child knows that a Swazi cannot even run a basic fish and chips shop. The implication is that Asians overran business territory previously occupied by industrious, Swazi.

Do your research well. No Swazi’s ever ran businesses on the scale we do. If it wasn’t for Asians, Swaziland would be a ghost town with no businesses running. So it is really disgusting that these people can go on a global platform and make such ridiculous insinuations, as if the Swazi economy would be as self sufficient as Europe without Asian ‘invasions!’

Great for them, Europe really loves them and is listening to their every little word, so why don’t they go and tell the world about how Swazis cannot even bake their own bread?
Maybe Geert Wilders and others can donate bakers and other investors who can keep the Swazi economy afloat if Asians get sick and tired of being perpetual scapegoats of ungrateful Swazis.

Yours Truly
Anonymous

Source:times.co.sz/

Amajita beat Swaziland

Amajita’s new coach Maqsood “Macky” Chenia has started his job on a high note after the South African national youth side defeated Swaziland’s Under-20 side 1-0 in Manzini yesterday.

The only goal of the game was scored by Speedy Mabaso.

Speaking to KickOff.com from Swaziland, Chenia said he was happy with the team though they did not have enough time together.

“It was obviously a good start and we are looking forward to getting more good results in the near future as we are starting to gel. The boys are doing well considering that we only gathered on Thursday and many of them are new in the team,” he said.

Chenia added that they are now ready to compete in the Cosafa Metropolitan Under-20 Youth Championships which starts in Johannesburg on Sunday.

“We are now focused on defending the trophy that we won last year. We are just praying hard that teams will release players that we have called up to training. We will be happy for the sake of the country if all the players honour the call.”

Chenia said they will announce the final squad by Friday at the latest because they now have more players than the 20 players needed for the tournament.

“We wanted to have a look at different players and also to see if the overseas players and the PSL players will be available before announcing the final squad
sOURCE:kickoff.com/

SWAZILAND: Floods wash away the drought

MBABANE, 30 November 2009 (IRIN) - After two decades of drought the urgent prayers in Swaziland's annual incwala ceremony, a month-long ritual in which ancestral spirits are petitioned for good rains, have been answered with weeks of torrential downpours. Floods now threaten food security.

On 17 November the sacred water party left for the Indian Ocean to collect items required to celebrate the 'Festival of the First Fruits', and now Swaziland's 13 rivers are all overflowing. The last time such rainfall was recorded was 25 years ago in 1984, when a cyclone struck. Too little rain in recent years has left most of the country's roughly one million people dependant on foreign food aid.

Andrew Nsibandze, an agriculture ministry extension officer who travels the country assessing crop performance, said floods were threatening newly planted crops. Small-scale farmers in rural areas were particularly at risk.

"There are farmers unable to enter swamped fields," Nsibandze told IRIN. Pumps to remove water from agricultural land and irrigation equipment had been washed away; roads were out and bridges had collapsed.

Sipho Simelane, Senior Agricultural Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, told IRIN: "Most definitely the rains are going to have an effect on agricultural production. We are getting reports ... about flooded fields - newly planted fields that have been washed away."

Smallholder farmers struggled to pay for inputs for the first planting, so buying new seeds and fertilizer for replanting would be beyond the means of most, and the cash-strapped government was in no position to help. "The farmers are on their own," Simelane said. The agriculture minister has not indicated that he would seek emergency assistance for affected farmers.

Transportation and Public Works Minister Nthuthuko Dlamini said the November downpours had caused US$6.7 million in damage to roads and highways - 19 bridges had been destroyed - and the network of rural roads farmers used to bring their crops to market had been severely compromised. Dlamini said only $270,000 was available for infrastructure repair, and he would ask parliament for emergency funding.

"This is unprecedented," said Trevor Shongwe, Chief Water Engineer for the Ministry of Natural Resources. "Those who use river water to water crops should ensure that the water pumps are situated far from the river bank because they may be swept away."

He also cautioned residents whose homes were near rivers to monitor rising water levels - hundreds of traditional mud-and-stick homes had already literally dissolved in the past few weeks of continuous heavy rainfall. According to the UN development Programme, 70 percent of Swazis live on less than a dollar a day.

Fears of anticipated water shortages this summer have been allayed. The abundant rainfall will also raise underground water levels and some boreholes that were dry for years might be revived.

While the sudden excess of water may mean good news for food production and security in months to come, it will bring bad news in the short term if waterlogged crops do not recover.

Excess water has been cascading down the spillways of Maguga Dam in northern Hhohho Province, the nation's largest; the Hawane Dam, which provides water for the capital, Mbabane, was also at 100 percent capacity. Dams in the previously drought-prone eastern lowveld region were between 70 percent and 80 percent full.

However, Jabulani Hlatshwako, Deputy Director of Swaziland's Meteorological Services, noted that "Of concern are new storm fronts that can bring more water after a break."

Source:irinnews.org/

Swaziland: New Study Casts Light on Decentralisation in Country

Developing countries around the Commonwealth face a myriad of challenges, not least alleviating poverty and delivering local services to citizens.

A new study from the Commonwealth Secretariat examines the case of Swaziland, a landlocked lower-middle income country in Southern Africa which has made local government decentralisation a major policy objective.

Jacqueline Wilson, Director of Governance and Institutional Development at the Secretariat, says the march away from central governance has taken "centre stage" in Swaziland.

"It is the cornerstone of the government's National Development Strategy," she says. "[Yet] despite these commitments, the real challenge is to effectively transfer managerial and financial powers from centralised ministries to local authorities."

Summary of decentralisation plans

The 'Decentralisation in Swaziland' study, drawn up using materials used at a high-level workshop organised by the Secretariat last year, deals with policy, managerial and implementation issues and provides a summary of decentralisation plans and key legislative milestones in Swaziland's recent history.

International Organisations
The book, which touches on capacity-building efforts, financial decentralisation, the role of traditional leaders and awareness among citizens, also highlights related experiences from Commonwealth countries in Asia, the Pacific, and Africa, including Lesotho and Ghana.

"Decentralisation is a very serious reform process requiring the full commitment of everyone to succeed," explains Swaziland's Deputy Prime Minister, Constance Simelane, in one of the study's chapters.

Dr Munawwar Alam, the Secretariat's Adviser on Sub-National Administration and Government, who edited the study, said: "The book serves as a useful reference for not only Swazi government officials but also for countries that are dealing with local government reforms, especially from Sub-Saharan Africa, to assess reform options suitable for them."

Source:allafrica.com/

Swaziland tycoon launches bid for developer Minerva

London property developer Minerva today received its second takeover bid in just over a year as largest shareholder KiFin offered £85 million.

KiFin is the vehicle of 77-year-old Nathan Kirsh, a secretive Swaziland investor who has built up a 29.9% stake in Minerva over the past year.

He is offering 50p cash for each Minerva share, substantially less than the 160p-a-share takeover that Dubai-based Limitless proposed, valuing Minerva at £258 million. The Minerva board saw off that offer in September last year.

Minerva rejected today's bid as “opportunistic and unwelcome” and said it seriously undervalued the company.

But KiFin said that its 50p offer represented a 30% premium to last night's closing price and a premium of 52% to Minerva's average share price over the last three months. Minerva shares took off again today, rising 12p to 501⁄4p.

KiFin is allowing its cash offer to do the talking. It does not criticise Minerva's management, merely stating the acquisition “would complement the property activities of the Kirsh Group”.

Minerva constructed the Walbrook complex in the City and is building the Lancaster Gate residential block near Hyde Park.

Source:thisislondon.co.uk/