Swazi Update-July 9, 2008
When textile workers demanded a 12% wage increase in March of this year they were met with rubber bullets, tear gas and live ammunition! Eventually 10% was agreed upon but that is lower than the inflation rate in Swaziland.
Now bus rates are scheduled to jump by 60% and electricity rates by 10% with an additional 7% added on quarterly. Meanwhile relatives of the boy-king, like Chief Gija of Nkomazi who heads the elections commission, has received a lovely 26% raise.
June 26 Cabinet approves 60% bus fare hike
July 1 SEC wants to increase electricity by 10% today
July 5 Gija gets about 26 percent increase
Some readers in New Brunswick may know the name of Gija for he is the chief that has given permission to local HIV/AIDS agencies to work with the people in Nkomazi near Manzini. He even built a brand new house for the Canadians who travel there to "observe" how desperate the situation really is. It seems he will build for foreign donors but not his own countrymen. Can you guess why?
After meeting Gija in Swaziland one Canadian director said: "He is a modern man and has only one wife." It is a pity when "humanitarian" workers will not scratch below the surface veneer as they look for simplistic solutions. Unfortunately, some people grow like onions - with their heads in the ground.
Read the following article and look for the roots.
If you agree hunger is a central issue in Swaziland, will you go one step more and ask why? June 24 Hunger at the heart of many Swazi issues
To follow current events in Swaziland see LATEST NEWS
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Information compiled by T. Debly
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
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