Africa-Press – Eswatini. A call for the subvention of imiphakatsi was made during the organised campaign held at Nceka and Maphilingo under Siphofaneni Inkhundla.
The proposal to subvent imiphakatsi was made by aspiring Member of Parliament (MP) Vusi Mkhumane, during the organised campaign. Mkhumane noted that the Constitution listed imiphakatsi under local administrations. He said local administrations under urban set-ups or under city councils were entitled to grants that came from the consolidated fund and included in the annual budget of the country.
Administrations
The MP candidate said his worry was that imiphakatsi were listed under local administrations but were not receiving any grants from government. He said imiphakatsi also had a number of services that they offered to people. Mkhumane mentioned that there was a need for imiphakatsi to have fully fledged offices. The candidate said imiphakatsi didn’t have landlines and the only way to get hold of authorities was through indvuna’s cellphone number. “If indvuna decides to switch off his phone, residents can’t access some services,” he said. He said umphakatsi should be accessible at all times, more especially for the services. Mkhumane said the only way imiphakatsi could be fully functional and accessible would be through a subvention from government. “We are not going to develop if imiphakatsi are at the current state,” he said. In his manifesto, the former Eswatini Energy Regulatory Authority (ESERA) boss urged the electorate to have an open communication line with him in order to submit or move relevant motions in the House of Assembly, should he win the elections.
Report
He committed that he would also report back to his constituency on a regular basis and further sensitise them about proposed laws and how these would affect them. Through the sensitisation, he said he would also ensure that he moved laws that would force government to allocate unutilised farms to emaSwati in order to increase the production of maize, beans and milk in the country. He noted that most of the grains that were consumed in the country, including milk, were imported, thus increasing the retail price. “Government has many farms that are lying idle, MPs should move a motion on how the farms could be utilised. If South Africa can stop the import of the products I have mentioned, emaSwati might face acute hunger,” he said.He went on to state that the utilisation of the farms might even create more jobs for emaSwati in the agricultural sector. Mkumane said currently, through the importation of the products, jobs were being created for South Africans.
For More News And Analysis About Eswatini Follow Africa-Press
