Mbabane: The government is currently engaged in talks to see how it can reduce electricity and water charges as part of their rescue mission in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo told Independent News that there is definitely something government would do in terms of cutting down on charges of essential commodities like electricity and water to meet the needs of the public which has been affected by the pandemic. The minister said he was aware that many could not generate money due to the regulations set by government in the advent of COVID-19 and as government they were doing all they could to rationalize the livelihood of all citizens.
“With government’s revision of the extended lockdown, a lot of people will be deprived of their livelihood and we are not unaware that a rescue mission is not an option but a necessity,” said Khumalo. The minister added that the situation facing the country is new despite being along the lines of the recent drought situation and as government they were redirecting strategies all to normalize the situation.
The government is yet to draft the cost of economic rescue plan which will prove an uphill in view of the pre-existing economic hardship. Despite the country’s classification as a lower-middle income country, there is suffering in terms of poverty and high unemployment.
According to the 2020 Index Economic Freedom, in 2019 Eswatini identified a large fiscal deficit, stagnating economic growth, and a poor business environment as the three major challenges facing the economy. If those problems were corrected, scores for such Index indicators as fiscal health, investment freedom, and financial freedom would likely improve, issued the Index.
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