The speech from the throne left almost nothing unsaid and touched on every pertinent and topical issue under the sun. For that, we congratulate His Majesty for the speech’s unequivocal content and for his eloquence in delivering it so artistically.

One has to assume that it was not an easy speech to give, especially at a time when this country was being pummeled by unprecedented challenges – left, right and centre. But somehow, His Majesty pulled it off and as Business Eswatini we say “Bayethe Wena Waphakathi!!”.

We were particularly touched when he took his time to commiserate with the business community which he recognized as having borne the brunt of the deleterious effects of COVID-19. He specifically mentioned that he was painfully aware some businesses had had to shut down under the sheer weight of the various lockdowns and that jobs had been lost in the process. He said that those businesses that remained opened, were struggling if not hanging by the thread. In the same vein he stressed the need for prioritizing the implementation of projects in order to resuscitate the economy as well as fiscal discipline all round.

To us as a business community, these words have emboldened us if only to know that His Majesty feels our excruciating pain. He has now laid down the gauntlet to government to give real meaning to the speech from the throne. And as Business Eswatini we are not tone-deaf to the development needs and goals of the country. As such, we pledge our renewed commitment to government and our development partners to assist in whatever manner desirable, as we have always done in the past. Eswatini is a country we proudly call home as a business sector and its prosperity is in all our best interest.

The challenges that lie ahead are as daunting as they are varied but we were particularly pleased to hear His Majesty say that though insurmountable these challenges may be, “we still have each other.” Indeed, we have each other.

On a different note, it was warm and endearing to hear His Majesty recount, in a very personal way, his experiences with COVID-19 and his road to recovery. In the same clip he extolled the virtues of the Taiwanese antibacterial drip which he decided to proudly swear by it long after his recovery. While we wait for the actual vaccine, whose arrival is still elusive as ever, government should have the drip available as a stop-gap measure just as His Majesty instructed.

“Bayethe Wena Waphakati!!”

E. Nathi Dlamini

Business Eswatini