GOVERNMENT PRESS STATEMENT

NO: 02/2020

BUSINESS PEOPLE TO REGISTER MAINLAND CHINA TRADE CONCERNS WITH RESPECTIVE FEDERATIONS

Mbabane, Eswatini – In light of the ongoing concerns regarding trade with Mainland China, the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini wishes to advise business people in the Kingdom to register their concerns with their respective business federations in the country.

Government is having consultative engagements with the two major business federations, Business Eswatini and the Federation of Eswatini Business Community (FESBC). Both federations are well positioned to advise government on the issues that their members will register with respect to trade with Mainland China.

It is in this regard, therefore, that we encourage members of these two Federations to register their concerns with their respective organisations on the matter, who in turn will engage Government with the view to find solutions.

For business persons who may not be belonging to any association or federation, we would like to urge them to register their concerns with the Ministry of Commerce, through the SME Unit at 2404 3201/2/3/4/5/6 or Sibonginkosi Mavuso at 7614 0485.

The Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini remains committed to providing all the necessary support to business in line with its mandate of creating a conducive environment for business growth.

Sabelo Dlamini

Deputy Government Spokesperson

28 January 2020

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR STATEMENT

BY

THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER,

H.E. AMBROSE MANDVULO DLAMINI

CABINET OFFICES, MBABANE

Monday 23 December 2019

It is my honour to extend to everyone in the Kingdom of Eswatini, His Majesty’s Government’s very best wishes for a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Christmas is essentially a time for profound and joyous celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  Within the strong Christian faith that is so prominent in our society, the annual commemoration will again be filled with melodious gospel music and prayer in churches across the Kingdom. 

Christmas provides the ideal moment to reflect on how truly wonderful it is that we live in a global society that, whilst not without its problems, is broadly at peace. And such a prevailing peace is entirely dependent on the contribution that each country makes.

None can be as proud and admired, for its history of peaceful collaboration, love and respect for its culture and leadership, as the Kingdom of Eswatini. 

As we move into the new year, let us pray that the global commitment to peace and stability extends to a devoted and credible pledge to slow down global warming to the target levels. Human development realised across the country and the world cannot be reassuring when it is being replaced by the very real risk of global destruction through climate change.  That requires all signatories to the 2015 Paris Climate Accord to take the necessary steps to strengthen their respective national climate plans.  Our voice and influence in the global arena matters, as well as the steps we take to move steadily into renewable energy generation in the coming months and years. 

As we review our place in the world, let us also remind ourselves of who we are as emaSwati, and to what we should commit ourselves in this festive season and the year to come. We are a nation widely respected for the internal stability and harmony that we so greatly value, and hugely appreciated for the friendliness with which we treat each other and the thousands of visitors attracted to our country by the beauty and variety of climate and landscape. 

I take this opportunity to welcome all our visitors to the Kingdom and encourage you to explore our wide variety of attractions, enjoy the ambience of a vibrant, safe and fun environment and marvel at the warmth and cordial welcome you will receive from emaSwati from all corners of the country. Welcome to the best destination to visit in Africa in 2020, as nominated by Lonely Planet, and to the 5^th best country to visit in the World.

In common with every country of the world we, in Eswatini, have individuals who choose to flout the rules and codes of behaviour. My appeal is that let us do away with unacceptable incidents of violence against women and children. Let us also be sensible and respectful on the roads. We have laws and penalties in place to prevent disregard for the safety of others, and to punish those who disregard road rules or drive under the influence of alcohol or other similar harmful substances.  There will be a very high level of police vigilance and zero tolerance to crime. 

Christmas for so many is a joyous time – one of giving and receiving, of sharing happy moments with family and friends. For the needy and vulnerable, however, this period of the year will merely be a continuation of tough living conditions.  May I ask all of you to make a truly caring effort to give one or more of such people some relief from their difficulties over this festive season. In the words of scripture capturing the Christmas spirit, “blessed is the hand that gives than the one that takes.”

Christmas and the crossover into the New Year will not erase the challenges of the present day but it will allow, and indeed demand, the time to make resolutions. 

One in the broader sense is the commitment to harmonious consultation and collaboration. No country in the world is without disagreement among its population. But the winners are those that sit together and resolve misunderstanding.  Emaswati are a team, and a team that works together prospers together. The empirical evidence for that is clearly visible in the profile of every stable and prosperous nation of the world. 

As we reflect on the progress achieved in 2019, we can be assured of Government’s commitment to accelerating efforts of national development and stability. We have made remarkable strides as a nation during the year in the midst of fiscal challenges that have not just affected Eswatini but the region and the world as well.

Through growth focussed measures taken from the National Development Plan, the austerity measures announced at the end of last year and in our Strategic Roadmap launched in May, we have been able to reduce and stabilise government expenditure, reduce the accumulation of arrears, moderated the inflation rate to below 2 percent, attracted big investments into our country creating about 7000 direct jobs, revived the Youth Revolving Fund to allow our youth to have access to business finance, among others.

Eswatini has also improved in five indicators of the Ease of Doing Business which include the period of starting a business, getting electricity, registering property, dealing with contractors and resolving insolvency.

Our gross national reserves have been stabilised and Free Primary Education (FPE) support was successfully disbursed for all deserving learners. This includes payment of grants, stationery and text books to all learners in public schools.

We continue to see harmony between the three arms of Government and going forward we hope it will be sustained and improved. Parliament has worked very well in the current year, passing a number of bills.

Government is acutely aware that despite these gains, we have a lot of ground to cover to reduce poverty and unemployment and set this country on a trajectory of sustained economic growth and stability.  And yes, despite the improvement in some indicators of the Ease of Doing Business the country regressed slightly in the overall index. This leaves us with no option but to redouble of efforts to ensure we remain a preferred destination for investment. While our economy is slowly showing signs of recovery, we continue to experience financial challenges that have strained some of our budgetary obligations and made it impossible to award Civil Servants a Cost of Living Adjustment.

Government commits to the pledge of making the crossover into the third decade of this century a time of acceleration in achieving greater prosperity for all emaSwati. We will forge ahead with the implementation of the Strategic Roadmap and the National Development Strategy.

That will mean taking the achievements of the first year of office to a heightened pace of delivery in a renewed climate of results-based management.  What will be launched very early in the new year is a programme of high level leadership interaction to monitor the effectiveness of the new culture of being judged by achievement.

I will personally hold high-level implementation meetings, focusing primarily, though not exclusively, on our 2019 pledge to the Nation in the form of the Government Strategic Roadmap.  Part of the performance monitoring toolkit will be the Balanced Scorecard, a high-level performance oversight technique that is widely utilised across the world. 

The primary objective will be faster economic growth in the form of expansion of production of goods and services of value, and a continued strengthening of public sector finances.  More jobs, less poverty, combined with a dedication to improved and efficient public service delivery.

As I conclude, may I once again, on behalf of His Majesty the King and iNgwenyama, Her Majesty the Queen Mother Mhlekazi, and His Majesty’s Government, wish all emaSwati and residents of Eswatini a merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.

Thank you.

STATEMENT BY H.E THE RT HON PRIME MINISTER

MR AMBROSE MANDVULO DLAMINI

AT THE CLOSING OF THE CABINET RETREAT

AT THE PIGGS PEAK HOTEL

FRIDAY 24 JANUARY 2020

Honourable Deputy Prime Minister

Cabinet Ministers

Principal Secretaries

Members of the media

Good afternoon

Today marks the end of the five-day Cabinet retreat that helped to trigger our collective responsibility towards creating and cementing a path of sustainable growth for the Kingdom. Our intense focus in the past five days reflected on the performance of the previous year and strategizing for the opportunities and challenges to be tackled in the new year.

Cabinet was joined by Principal Secretaries to review the Strategic Roadmap with the view to ensure that all development plans are geared towards addressing the specific growth pillars of both the Roadmap and the National Development Plan.

The over aching objective is to improve the well-being of all EmaSwati and achieve sustained economic growth. Our actions are in tandem with the national goal of tackling poverty, unemployment and attaining financial stability and development.

A synopsis of the previous year indicated that 2019 was a tough year globally recording the lowest global economic growth of the decade. The Southern Africa region recorded the slowest economic growth in Africa.

However, the rapid growth of the digital economy globally presented new opportunities to all economies especially those in developing markets such as Eswatini. The rise of the 4th industrial revolution points to the fact that ICT adoption and promoting technology integration is crucial in the new year and going forward. We are called upon to intensify our efforts of teaching our youth ICT skills to enhance their potential to harness the benefits of the digital economy. The growth of the digital economy is a constant and is here to stay.

The Kingdom strengthened and expanded its bilateral relations with our stakeholders and trade partners led by His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Indlovukazi. We improved relations with major trade partners such as South Africa, India, Taiwan and signed a cooperation agreement with Singapore.

Eswatini’s real GDP growth in 2019 was projected at 1.3%, and in 2020 the projections show a 100% increase to 2.6%.

The unemployment rate stood at 23% and it is projected to reduce slightly to 22.10% in 2020.

Cabinet identified climate change as the main threat facing the world, including Eswatini, as the effects permeate through all our growth interventions. As a result, a decision was taken to infuse it into the five key growth sectors of the Strategic Roadmap under the pillar of Tourism, now to be referred to as Tourism and Environment.

The year 2020 is themed the year of SMEs. Focus is on SME development, especially creating business access to finance and markets, and empowering the youth and women with entrepreneurial skills. Government will intently build strong relations with the private sector, providing the enabling environment to ensure its sustained growth to enhance job creation and innovation. In the course of the retreat we hosted Business Eswatini and the Federation of Eswatini Business Community to share ideas on how to strengthen our cooperation and work together as partners in stimulating economic growth.

This year we will be launching a new State and Business model known as State Business Relations (SBR) to ensure regular, open, structured, timely and detailed information exchange between the State and Business. We expect the business sector to commit to this model for it to be effective. There shouldn’t be a difference between the private and public sector because we are all working towards a similar goal of improving the lives of EmaSwati, and we believe the SBR will remove clutter and any vacuum between State and Business.

We also welcome constructive feedback from the business sector and we will do the same. Government renews its commitment to simplifying the environment for businesses to thrive, ensuring policy certainty and removing barriers and bottlenecks that impede private sector growth. As a result we are setting up a Delivery Unit whose mandate will be to identify and remove all barriers and obstacles that may hamper the attraction of both Foreign Direct and local investments, including the execution of committed Government projects. The objective is to increase chances of all government and investment projects to succeed.

Agriculture remains a key priority for sustained economic growth for the Kingdom in the year 2020. Emphasis is on the adoption of smart and modernized agriculture to mitigate the effects of climate change. A tunnel drip irrigation project is being earmarked for the area around the King Mswati III International Airport to increase vegetable production. 

Government is also intentionally boosting milk production for self sufficiency and export purposes to boost business growth and job creation. The construction of a milk processing plant has been completed and an operator engaged. This has also triggered other local milk producing companies to expand their facilities. Dairy production is expected to create 5000 jobs at full implementation.

ICT is also a key focus area for Government as it provides a viable vehicle to drive economic transformation. In 2019 we rolled-out internet connectivity to 116 peri urban and rural Secondary and High Schools. Through the Ministry of ICT we also delivered connectivity to 14 Tinkhundla centres and 40 health facilities. In 2020, Government will start rolling out the one laptop per child project. A total of 20 rural schools have already been identified and will receive 45 laptops each.

We will be leveraging on our selection as the top five destination to visit in the world by Lonely Planet through an intensified programme of marketing for tourist attraction. In October, Eswatini will participate in the Dubai Expo that will bring together millions of people from around the world to sample tourism products from the over a 100 countries that will participate.  As this is the year of the SMEs, we will collaborate with the private sector to enhance tourism products.

Over the year, Government will heighten the provision of potable water by accelerating national water coverage through investing in bulk water storage and rural water supply.

The year 2020 will be a year of action and we will closely monitor and follow up on the implementation of the Strategic Roadmap. Through the assistance of the European Union we now have an implementation framework for the Strategic Roadmap. It aims to improve the implementation process and achieve Roadmap outcomes. Performance agreements will be drawn with Ministers and Principal Secretaries and a balanced scorecard will be introduced in April to measure the performance of Ministers and Principal Secretaries. The Balanced scorecards will give the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister an oversight of what Ministries are reporting to Parliament and synchronise with quarterly reports.

As we venture into the activities of the new year, may I appreciate the cooperation enjoyed by the three arms of Government over the past year. We are looking forward to another year of working in harmony in the execution of our duties.

We live in a world where perceptions, more often than not, override reality. As we embark on a national building exercise, it is important that we develop a positive profile for the country and close the gap between the pervasive negative perceptions and the reality on the ground. Government is establishing a reputation management process that seeks to position Eswatini as the destination for peace and stability growth and innovation.

At the beginning of the retreat on Monday, I did inform Cabinet and Principal Secretaries that we owe it to our families and all emaSwati to deliver the transformation that even we ourselves so desire to see in the Kingdom. That includes having an efficient public service, improving access to affordable quality healthcare and providing predictable and consistent energy supply to the investor community and to all emaSwati.  

But most importantly, it is to ensure that we build an environment in which Emaswati can be healthy, happy and inspired.

We are all waiting in anticipation and excitement for the direction we will get from His Majesty King Mswati III when delivering the Speech from the Throne on January 31. For the Bible tells us in the book of Proverbs 29 verse 1, “when the righteous are in authority the people rejoice.”

May I seize this opportunity to address the current misinformation about visa applications to enter the territory of the People’s Republic of China, which is unfortunate, even after Government had issued a statement through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. I want to put across the following;

1. I reiterate the position of the Government of Eswatini contained in the aforementioned statement that there is no cause for alarm and there is irrefutable information that only application procedures for visa to travel to China have been altered for EmaSwati. As a result, the only visa centre where EmaSwati should apply is indicated to be the Chinese Embassy in Pretoria only and not Sandton or elsewhere.
2. I discourage all speculative positions that have been adopted and floated as the reasons that have caused this change in procedure, as each sovereign nation reserves the right to execute its public mandate the way it sees fit without fear or favour or prejudice.

The Government remains committed to serve the citizens of Eswatini and maintain an active interest in the matter.

Thank you.

                                                                     KINGDOM OF ESWATINI

                                                                                      SPEECH BY

HIS MAJESTY KING MSWATI III, DURING THE CELEBRATION ON THE OCCASION OF NATIONAL DAY OF THE STATE OF QATAR HELD AT ROYAL SWAZI SUN CONVENTION CENTRE 18^th DECEMBER 2019

YOUR ROYAL HIGHNESSES,

YOUR EXCELLENCY THE AMBASSADOR OF THE STATE OF QATAR, AHMED TAJER AL-SADA,

COUNCILLORS,

CHIEFS,

CHIEF JUSTICE,

CABINET MINISTERS,

PRESIDING OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT,

YOUR EXCELLENCIES MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS,

REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE HHOHHO REGION,

MEMBERS OF THE QATAR COMMUNITY PRESENT HERE TODAY,

MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILLORS OF EZULWINI,

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.

SIYANIVUSELA NONKHE BEKUNENE LAPHA EZULWINI – GOOD EVENING

PREAMBLE

I HAVE BEEN COMMANDED BY HIS MAJESTY KING MSWATI III TO REPRESENT HIM AT THIS NATIONAL DAY RECEPTION OF THE STATE OF QATAR AND I SHALL READ HIS SPEECH ACCORDINGLY.

INTRODUCTION

IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE TO JOIN YOU ALL HERE THIS EVENING, TO CELEBRATE THE NATIONAL DAY OF THE STATE OF QATAR.

THIS DAY SIGNIFIES A GREAT MILESTONE IN THE HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE OF A COUNTRY BUILT ON THE STRONG FOUNDATION LAID BY THE LATE SHEIKH JASIM BIN MOHAMMED AL THANI ON THIS DAY 141 YEARS AGO.

THIS WISE LEADERSHIP AND FORESIGHT OF THE SHEIKH AND THAT OF HIS SUCCESSOR , COUPLED WITH THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE OF QATAR , HAVE GALVANISED THIS COUNTRY INTO THE GREAT NATION THAT WE ARE HERE TO CELEBRATE TODAY.

WE CONGRATULATE THE SHEIKH, THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF QATAR FOR THE UNITY AND SHARED VISION THAT HAS SEEN THE COUNTRY OVERCOME CHALLENGES TO DEVELOP INTO ONE OF THE MOST MODERN STATES OF THE WORLD.

IT IS THIS STRONG RESOLVE THAT SHOULD CONTINUE TO GUIDE YOUR COUNTRY IN ALL ITS ENDEAVOURS. THE KINGDOM OF ESWATINI URGES DIALOGUE AND A PEACEFUL RESOLVE TO THE NEW CHALLENGES THAT FACE QATAR TODAY AND THE ARABIAN GULF.

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS ,LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE KINGDOM OF ESWATINI AND THE STATE OF QATAR HAVE ENJOYED A STRONG BOND OF FRIENDSHIP SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF OUR DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS IN 2002.

WE TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO THANK THE GOVERNMENT OF QATAR FOR EXTENDING VARUIOUS FORMS OF SUPPORT THAT HAVE MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTIBUTION IN SEVERAL SECTORS OF OUR ECONOMY THROUGH THE JOINT COOPERATION BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES.

OUR PURSUIT OF THE ASPIRATIONS CONTAINED IN OUR NATIONAL VISION 2022 WOULD BE IN VAIN WITHOUT THE INPUT OF OUR BILATERAL FRIENDS AND DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS.

AS THIS FRIENDSHIP GROWS, WE LOOK FORWARD TO INCREASED PARTNERSHIP IN TERMS OF TRADE WHICH OFFERS GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH COUNTRIES.

AS A MEMBER COUNTRY OF THE RECENTLY LAUNCHED AFRICAN CONTINENTAL FREE TRADE AREA, ESWATINI SERVES AN IDEAL LOCATION FOR QATAR INVESTORS TO SET UP AS A BASE FOR ACCESS INTO THE AFRICAN MARKET – THE WORLD’S LARGEST SINGLE MARKET.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE STATE OF QATAR IS ON THE VERGE OF HOSTING ONE OF THE BIGGEST TOURNAMENTS IN THE WORLD - THE 2022 WORLD CUP. WE WISH YOU ALL THE BEST AS YOU PUT THE FINAL TOUCHES TO YOUR PREPARATIONS.

FROM WHAT WE HAVE SEEN THUS FAR, WE HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE PEOPLE FROM CORNERS OF THE GLOBE ARE TO WITNESS A REMARKABLY UNIQUE EXPERIENCE.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO EMASWATI FLYING OUT OF THE KING MSWATI III INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO QATAR FOR THIS EVENT AND BRINGING BACK MEMORABLE EXPERIENCES FROM THEIR VISIT. OUR AIRPORT AT SIKHUPHE OFFERS A GREAT BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY FOR QATAR AIRWAYS TO EXPLORE PRIOR TO AND BEYOND THIS EVENT.

CONCLUSION

YOUR EXCELLENCY, AS I CONCLUDE LET ME TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ONCE AGAIN THANK THE QATAR GOVERNMENT FOR THE WARM AND CORDIAL RELATIONS THAT HAPPILY EXIST BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES AND FOR THE NUMEROUS FORMS OF SUPPORT THAT WE CONTINUE TO RECEIVE FROM YOUR COUNTRY.

TOAST

AT THIS JUNCTURE, MAY I INVITE YOU ALL TO CHARGE YOUR GLASSES AND JOIN ME IN PROPOSING A TOAST:

TO THE LONG AND HEALTHY LIFE OF THE EMIR HIS HIGHNESS TAMIN BIN HAMAD LA THANI, FOR THE CONTINUED PROSPERITY OF THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PEOPLE OF QATAR AND ALSO TO THE WARM AND CORDIAL RELATIONS THAT HAPPILY EXIST BETWEEN OUR TWO COUNTRIES. MAY THEY GROW FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH.

SIYINQABA!!!!!

I THANK YOU, MAY THE ALMIGHTY GOD BLESS US ALL