THULISILE DLADLA MUST FALL: WHY ARE OUR DONATIONS BEING STOLEN?
In Eswatini, our people are hungry. Many are poor. Some sleep with empty stomachs. Children go to school with no breakfast. Old women in rural areas wait for help that never comes. When food is donated to help the struggling emaSwati, it should reach the people. But instead, it is being stolen — and our so-called leaders don’t even care.
This time, the finger is pointing at Deputy Prime Minister Thulisile Dladla. She and her officials at the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) are being accused of working with Asian shop owners to sell donated food that was meant for the poor. Yes, food donations — stolen and sold for profit, while our people suffer.
Photos were taken inside a shop owned by an Asian national. Inside the shop were packets of rice and beans with the national logo “Siyinqaba”. Clear as day, the food was marked “Not For Sale”. And yet, there it was — on the shelves, being sold. Someone with a conscience sent those pictures to journalist Zweli Martin Dlamini. That is how the truth came out.
When Thulisile Dladla was asked to respond, she refused to say anything. She didn’t deny it. She didn’t explain. She just stayed silent — like nothing happened. But silence is not innocence. Silence is guilt hiding behind power.
Wandile Dludlu, Deputy President of PUDEMO, said it clearly: Thulisile Dladla is using her closeness to the royal family to get away with corruption. She believes that because she is close to the Queen Mother, she can do anything she wants. No respect for the Prime Minister. No care for the hungry masses. Just power, greed, and connections.
And he is right. In Eswatini, once someone gets close to royalty, they stop seeing themselves as public servants. They see themselves as royals. They believe they are untouchable. That is why they steal with no shame. That is why food meant for children ends up on sale in Chinese-owned shops.
Let us not forget: this food was not bought by government. It was donated — by the people of Japan. And just days ago, the Deputy Prime Minister received more rice donations from Taiwan — worth over R45 million. What will happen to that rice? Will it feed the poor? Or will it also be sold behind closed doors?
This is not just theft. It is betrayal. It is an insult to the international partners who donate out of goodwill. And most of all, it is an attack on the dignity of emaSwati who are already struggling.
Where is the investigation? Where is accountability? Where is the justice for the people?
We are tired of seeing the same names involved in scandal after scandal. We are tired of leaders who pretend to care but only care about their pockets. Thulisile Dladla must be held accountable. She cannot hide behind royal skirts. Enough is enough.
This is the Eswatini we live in — where the poor are robbed, and the powerful stay silent.
But not forever.
The people are watching. We will not be quiet.
