Morning Star
*Swaziland's king teeters on the brink* *John Haylett, The Morning Star, London, 18 November 2011*The Swaziland regime of absolute monarch King Mswati III could be on its last legs as its remaining friends lose patience with intransigence and corruption.
Even the Daily Mail speculated this week on whether the king would heed advice to change or whether his "arrogance" would bring about his downfall.
The International Monetary Fund, African Development Bank and the World Bank have turned off the loans tap because of Mswati's rejection of conditions relating to democratic and fiscal reforms.
Nor has Africa's last absolute monarch been able to make good on the 2.4 billion rand (£207 million) loan offered by South Africa in August.
Mswati boasted prematurely of this agreement, causing embarrassment to President Jacob Zuma's government, which was caught on the hop by his unilateral announcement.
The president's left-wing and trade union allies were outraged at this subvention of the Swazi autocracy and demanded its cancellation.
Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan insisted that Swaziland had accepted stringent loan conditions, covering democracy and "confidence-building" measures to attract overseas direct investment.
Gordhan explained that acceptance of these conditions implied acceptance of a 2004 agreement between Pretoria and Mbabane to promote democracy and human rights.
He said that the loan was contingent on Swazi alignment of its fiscal policy to IMF standards, unlimited access for South African experts to assist with fiscal and budgetary plans and co-operation with "multilateral engagements" to stabilise its economy.
Gordhan appears to have been as good as his word because Mswati has refused to access the loan, leaving it on hold.
This doesn't mean that the monarch's profligate habits have been trimmed at all. On the contrary.
The man who thought it acceptable to fly 50 of his entourage to a British royal wedding junket earlier this year while two-thirds of his 1.4 million people live below the poverty line continues to spend like a drunken sailor.
The IMF dispatched a mission to Swaziland last week to assess the situation and its findings were scathing.
Mission head Johannes Mongardini was snubbed by the king, who was unavailable for interview because he was in a religious retreat in preparation for the Incwala (first fruits) ceremony.
Mongardini delivered a stinging verdict on the economy, saying: "Government revenue collection is insufficient to cover essential government expenditure, including the wage bill.
"More importantly, key social programmes like the fight against HIV/Aids, free primary education, support for orphaned and vulnerable children and elderly grants are being negatively affected."
What this means is that money earmarked for the impoverished elderly and for Aids orphans' education has been misappropriated by the monarchy for its self-indulgence.
Mongardini added that the fiscal deficit for 2011-12 is expected to touch 10 per cent of GDP, which is having a negative knock-on effect on small businesses dependent on government contracts.
Small businesses have little chance when they see the crown itself setting itself up as a commercial supplier of food to the Swazi army.
Swaziland Solidarity Network spokesman Lucky Lukhele reported at the beginning of November: "The government of Swaziland has decided to make Tibiyo Taka Ngwane, the national investment trust company that the king uses as his personal piggy bank, the sole supplier of food to the country's army."
Lukhele explained: "What the government has effectively done is to move food procurement from an open tendering process, albeit flawed, which had business opportunities for independent tax-paying suppliers, and give it to a non-tax-paying entity that is completely controlled by the king."
Mswati's personal wealth is estimated at anything up to £200m, but this is largely salted abroad.
Not only does he fail to use this to help out the pauperised Swazi population, 25 per cent of whose adults are HIV positive or have Aids, but his own craving for luxury has led him to plunder public funds, from the state bank to the electricity company, for his personal use.
The king's eyes are still set on an IMF loan, which will involve some window dressing to try to convey the impression of involving the country's democratic forces in discussions on the future.
The People's United Democratic Movement (Pudemo) reacted quickly this week to warn against attempts to suggest that it was involved in talks due to begin yesterday.
Pudemo secretary general Shkumbuzo Phakathi said that he was aware that "some of those who drive this opportunistic agenda portray themselves being either indirectly or directly having the mandate of Pudemo or at the least give an impression that Pudemo is indirectly involved in the process."
Phakathi made clear that the intention of those behind the talks charade was to persuade Pudemo to "abandon the struggle for the liberation of the people of Swaziland and participate in the undemocratic tinkhundla elections."
Progress depended first and foremost on an open and unconditional commitment by the king and his government to "peaceful transition to democracy and change," he said.
The Pudemo secretary general declared that Swaziland "is at a stage where we as a nation can choose to sink or swim," adding confidently: "We are on the last mile to freedom."
*From: http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/news/content/view/full/112115* * * -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
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