Swati Newsweek, 20, July 2020
Opinion
Mfomfo Nkhambule
I am beginning to believe that God in His wisdom made some animals far smarter than human beings especially those whose natural environment has not been interfered with by man in his quest to manifest his stupidity.
It is also true that we have this tendency of believing that a group of people will always come up with a better solution than one or two individuals when thinking about a certain problem they are facing at some point in their life time.
May be it is time we change this belief. This COVID-19 pandemic has come to expose the mental weakness of the leadership of this country to an extent that even Baboons would do an excellent job leading Swazis. Am I wrong in making such a statement?
Remember that we have not been brought up in an environment to challenge the thoughts of those in leadership position but to accept any remark as gospel truth especially when it is made by anyone in authority.
This was done to prepare us for those who would have a say in our destiny so that we could not be a difficult lot for them to rule over us.
In the presence of this pandemic Cabinet, through the Minister for education, has ordered parents to pay school fees in full yet school children stopped going to schools mid March this year on orders of the government.
Please bear in mind that some children were in school hostels where they were accommodated.
When they left for their respective homes the electricity and catering services were closed down because the kids were not there.
There was no effective teaching at all. It was not the choice of Swazi parents to have schools closed down.
It was a sensible thing to do by government because she thought she was doing the right thing (because most governments in the region were doing it).
The reality was that factories were closed, people were not getting any income, then they were laid off.
Nathan Kirsh came to the rescue of many Swazis because government could not. Government, as an employer came to the rescue of her employees by compensating her employees so that they could look after their dependants and relatives during the time of the pandemic.
Not all employers could do this in Swaziland.
Some civil servants could work at home, which is something they are doing even now.
It is unheard of for government to order parents to pay school fees for pupils that are not learning anything.
This is a national disaster and the right thing for government to do is to shoulder the financial burden of this pandemic other than worsening situation for the voiceless Swazi parents.
Government should be concentrating on how best to bring the numbers of those infected down other than thinking how to get money from poor Swazi parents.
Let it become a burden to the state to pay suppliers up to 75% of the material schools procured.
Suppliers should be told that there was a global pandemic therefore, we all suffered losses and they cannot expect to recover their losses.
This is the most logical thing to do under the circumstances. Some private schools run by Boards have given parents reasonable discounts although they have been embarking on e-learning in the time of the pandemic.
Is Cabinet appointed from a bunch of special idiots who have no common sense at all?
What is the point of government telling the Swazi people about the ever increasing COVID-19 infection when there is nothing new being done to fight the speed of the pandemic? These new figures are not sending any message to the ordinary Swazis.
We are being told that Manzini is the epicenter but nothing is being said as to new initiatives to stop the spread around Manzini.
Where in Swaziland is Manzini? It is important to zero in on townships or suburbs.
If government has run out of ideas let cabinet say so. May be ministers should have audience with the King to get some breath of fresh air.
What about the Madagascar concoction?
If Madagascar has a concoction that is working why is it also having a problem with the pandemic?
Why doesn’t government hand over this management of this pandemic to experts from WHO before we get bored by her shenanigan on the handling of the pandemic?
The Swati Newsweek 