Lobamba- Deputy Prime Minister Thuli Dladla has warned that encouraging Emaswati to have more children without first fixing unemployment, poverty and gaps in public services could leave the country with an even greater social protection burden.
Dladla made the warning during the Senate portfolio committee, first quater performance report debate of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office on Monday, as lawmakers debated concerns over Eswatini’s stagnant or declining population and proposals to encourage higher birth rates.
Senate President Princess Lindiwe had called on Emaswati who were able to have children to do so, warning that continued population decline could create demographic challenges for the country.
But Dladla questioned whether Eswatini had the capacity to support the additional population. “The question is, are we ready for that population?” she asked.
Her response was backed by figures showing the extent of the demands already being placed on the country’s social welfare system.During the first quarter, 17 230 learners were enrolled under the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) education grant, while 93 633 elderly people were receiving monthly grants.
Government also disbursed 18 949 disability grants during the same period.The Department of Social Welfare processed 1 522 child maintenance cases during the quarter, an increase from 1 134 recorded during the corresponding period last year.
It also handled 1 340 validated child abuse cases.Dladla said these pressures had to be considered when discussing population growth.
She argued that having more children would not automatically solve Eswatini’s demographic concerns if the economy could not provide sufficient employment and public services to support them.
The DPM said economic conditions were already influencing decisions around having children, particularly among educated people who were concerned about their ability to provide for larger families in an economy where jobs remained scarce.
She also pointed to differences between urban and rural communities, saying the country’s population picture might not be as straightforward as the debate suggested.
While families in urban areas appeared to be having fewer children, Dladla said her office continued to encounter rural homesteads with more than eight children.
She suggested that a proper census could provide a clearer picture of the country’s demographic situation before major policy decisions were taken.
The debate over population growth also produced a proposal for government to financially incentivize childbirth. Senator Chief Prince Mphatfwa suggested the introduction of a child grant for families as one possible measure to encourage people to have children.
Dladla cautioned against the proposal, saying another grant could expand the number of people dependent on government assistance at a time when existing programmes were already under pressure.
She used the example of a family with a large number of children that could potentially look to government to provide financial support for each child.
Instead, she said the immediate priority should be creating employment and addressing the economic difficulties facing families.“For now, let the country fix the problems that are persisting, including the creation of jobs,” Dladla said.
Teenage pregnancies
The DPM also raised concern about teenage pregnancies, saying young people were increasingly becoming parents while still at school. She said the situation was particularly difficult in rural communities, where some teenage mothers were left to raise their children after the fathers abandoned them.
Dladla said this further increased the number of children requiring assistance through government programmes. The discussion therefore brought the country’s population debate into direct contact with its existing challenges around child welfare, unemployment and poverty.
The Senate debate also turned to parental responsibility, with Deputy Senate President Ndumiso Mdluli calling for DNA testing to be conducted when children are born. Senator Isaac Mmemo Magagula backed the proposal, arguing that the cost of DNA testing should not prevent the country from establishing biological parentage.
Magagula said determining biological parentage could have long-term benefits for families and the country, beyond the immediate cost of testing. Dladla, however, said the priority should be ensuring that parents take responsibility for the children they already have.
“People must start taking care of their babies before they start talking about DNA tests,” she said.
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