MBABANE-(MaraviPost)-Eswatini’s Parliament has recommended that foreign-owned businesses operating unlawfully be given 12 months to regularise their operations or shut down, amid government inspections that have already closed shops in rural areas.
The recommendation was made in the House of Assembly on Tuesday during debate on the second-quarter performance report of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade.
It followed inspections targeting non-compliant businesses, particularly shops operated by Asian nationals on Swazi Nation Land.
The ministry said the crackdown is aimed at enforcing existing licensing laws, not removing all foreign-owned businesses.
Legally operating businesses will not be targeted, the ministry said.
Mbabane East MP Welcome Dlamini told Parliament that officials had already started closing foreign-owned shops.
He raised concerns about the lack of a sustainable takeover plan and questioned how emaSwati would take over and operate the businesses without sufficient preparation and experience.
Dlamini proposed a three-year transition period to allow emaSwati to prepare to take over the businesses. Nhlambeni MP Manzi Zwane supported the proposal.
Mafutseni MP Sabelo Mtetwa proposed six months, arguing that government should provide financial assistance to locals interested in taking over the shops.
Other MPs, including Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo, backed a more gradual approach to avoid disrupting access to essential goods. Hhohho Regional MP Tanele Magagula and Mafutseni MP Sabelo Mthethwa supported immediate action, arguing that local people should not have to wait while suffering economically.
Parliament subsequently resolved to recommend at least 12 months for unlawful operators to regularise or leave. The 12-month period remains a parliamentary recommendation and does not automatically change existing laws. Authorities may continue enforcing current regulations unless the legislation is formally amended.
The inspections have raised concerns among MPs about job losses, wasted stock and the impact on communities that rely on the shops for essential goods.
The debate took place against the background of the Citizens Economic Empowerment Act, which seeks to increase emaSwati ownership, control and participation in the country’s economy. About 70 percent of Eswatini’s population lives below the poverty line, according to figures cited in Parliament.
The ministry stressed that the proposed 12-month period is intended to allow non-compliant operators to obtain the correct licences, move to areas where they are permitted to operate, or close in an orderly manner.
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