Swaziland faces a number of serious economic problems, its finance minister warned on Thursday, blaming expenditure on overseas trips for officials and corruption within the government.
Presenting his budget for 2003, Majozi Sithole said the country, ruled by Africa’s last remaining monarch, King Mswati III, needed to introduce swift measures to combat its economic woes.
”The government is facing a number of problems, which are contributing immensely to ever-increasing government expenditure,” Sithole told parliament.
”These are: external (official) trips, corruption within the government and in the private sector, telecommunications which is destroying the government’s image, and the sinking budget.”
He warned that swift measures need to be taken to rein in expenditure in the small country wedged between South Africa and Mozambique.
”We need to do something before it’s too late. There is no choice but to address the macro economic problems with drastic and simply implemented reform,” said Sithole.
The minister did not tell lawmakers the total amount budgeted for 2003, but last year’s budget was 4,5-billion emalangeni (562-million dollars).
King Mswati drew worldwide condemnation last year after he bought despite a prohibition by lawmakers a $45-million luxury jet while more than 250 000 people out of the country’s population of one million were facing starvation as a result of
drought. – Sapa-AFP