Mbabane – Growing concern over the dominance of foreign-owned small and medium enterprises took centre stage yesterday when senators visited Nkamazi Umphakatsi under Chief Gija as part of Parliament’s Taking Parliament to the People programme, according to reports by the Eswatini Observer.
The engagement was led by Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini, with Emaswati residents using the platform to voice frustration over what they described as the growing control of foreign owned businesses and its impact on jobs and economic opportunities for locals.
Contributing during the meeting, Bongani Maziya said resentment was increasing as foreign small and medium enterprises continued to expand in both urban and rural areas. He claimed that in urban centres such as Manzini and Mbabane, foreign owned SMEs had taken up to 70 percent of available jobs, leaving many Emaswati unable to secure employment.
Maziya said the situation was made worse by the fact that even qualified graduates were being employed by foreign owned enterprises, while profits were repatriated to the owners’ countries of origin. He called on the Ministry of Commerce Industry and Trade to review and closely monitor the quota system governing foreign SMEs. He also proposed policies that would require partnerships between foreign investors and Emaswati to ensure locals benefited from such businesses.
He further urged government to monitor where these enterprises banked their money, alleging that in some instances funds were being taken out of the country illegally.
Maziya also raised concerns beyond economic matters, noting that although government development efforts were visible, many major roads remained riddled with potholes that were not repaired promptly, leading to accidents. He said the increasing number of speed humps on roads linking Nhlangano and Big Bend had become excessive and counterproductive, causing unnecessary delays for road users.
He appealed to the Ministry of Health to tighten regulation of food establishments, suggesting closer monitoring of salt and oil levels in prepared food to safeguard public health.
Another resident, who identified herself as Make Masuku, raised safety concerns in Nkamazi. She said the area, despite its strong agricultural output and recent bumper harvests, lacked essential services such as a local police station. Masuku said residents relied on Sigodvweni Police Station, which was far from the community, at a time when crime and gender based violence were on the rise. She acknowledged the role of community police in assisting to curb crime.
Responding to the concerns, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Pholile Shakantu, said government was aware of the challenges raised, particularly those relating to business ownership. She said the Ministry of Commerce was working on the Citizen Empowerment Bill, which was intended to strengthen and protect locally owned businesses.
Shakantu said government had observed a trend where businesses initially owned by Emaswati were later leased or sold to foreign nationals who were then granted permits and trading spaces. She urged citizens to reflect on their own role in enabling the situation, saying before blaming foreigners, Emaswati should question why struggling businesses were not transferred to fellow citizens instead of being sold or leased to foreign businesspeople. She said citizen empowerment required both government intervention and collective responsibility from Emaswati.
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