COMPLACENCY BEYOND FOOT AND MOUTH

WHEN His Majesty King Mswati III stood before Parliament last Friday, he spoke with clear disappointment about the resurgence of foot and mouth disease (FMD).

In doing so, the king was not simply pointing to a veterinary or agricultural failure.

The king was, in effect, holding up a mirror to the nation.

The return of a disease we had once defeated was not just a technical lapse; it was a sign of complacency. It was a warning that we are too quick to forget hard-learned lessons — not only with FMD, but across many areas of national life. That warning should concern us far beyond our kraals, dip tanks and beef markets.

FMD AS A NATIONAL WARNING

FMD is not new to the country. We have fought it before, contained it and rebuilt confidence in our livestock sector — a sector with deep social, cultural and economic meaning.

Cattle represent wealth, food security, identity and dignity.

Yet despite this experience, the disease returned, slipped through controls and spread across regions. The assumption that past success guarantees future safety has proven dangerously wrong.

HIV: A HARD-LEARNT LESSON AT RISK

Last year, we put forward an argument in this column warning against the same dangerous thinking in our approach to HIV and AIDS. Those sentiments are worth revisiting, especially in light of the king’s concern last Friday.

For nearly three decades, the country lived through the brutal reality of the epidemic. From the late 1980s through the 2000s, HIV devastated families and communities. An HIV diagnosis was often a death sentence. Treatment was scarce, stigma was crushing and entire households collapsed under grief and poverty.

Thousands of children were orphaned. The state had to step in through measures such as the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children Fund. Many children were born with HIV because prevention services were absent.

Infant mortality rose sharply and family structures broke down, forcing children to become heads of households long before they were ready.

At its worst, the country was labelled a global epicentre of HIV. It was during this crisis that the king declared HIV a national emergency, leading to the creation of national coordinating institutions and a response that eventually changed the course of the epidemic.

SUCCESS AND THE DANGER OF COMPLACENCY

That turnaround has been remarkable. Eswatini became the first African country to reach the 95-95-95 treatment targets. New infections declined sharply and countless lives were saved. This remains one of the country’s greatest public health achievements.

But success carries risk. Today, HIV no longer feels urgent to many people, particularly the youth.

For some, it is seen as a problem of their parents’ generation. This false sense of safety mirrors the thinking that allowed FMD to return: we dealt with it before, so it is no longer a threat. Yet, despite medical breakthroughs, the virus never left us. Poverty, inequality, silence, stigma and transactional relationships remain deeply rooted.

Recent figures showing more than 10 000 teenage pregnancies over two years are not merely a social concern; they are a warning. They point to risky behaviour, power imbalances and widespread misunderstanding about viral suppression. Prevention has clearly slipped down the list of priorities.

Young women and girls remain especially vulnerable, accounting for a disproportionate share of new infections. This is driven by intergenerational relationships, economic hardship and social pressures intensified by social media and material aspiration — the same forces that fuelled the epidemic decades ago.

FUNDING SHOCKS AND FRAGILE GAINS

The situation has been made more fragile by recent funding cuts. For years, the HIV response relied heavily on external support. When that support was reduced in 2025, the effects were immediate.

Programmes were scaled back, outreach reduced and prevention initiatives suspended. Health facilities, already under pressure, felt the strain.

Just as the FMD outbreak exposed weaknesses in disease control, the funding shock revealed how fragile our health gains remain. Sustainability — whether in agriculture or public health — cannot depend on memory or goodwill. It must be built into strong systems, reliable financing and everyday practice.

EDUCATION AND THE COST OF STANDING STILL

This same complacency is visible in our education system. While the world is rapidly adapting to new technologies, skills and ways of working, our system risks falling behind.

Concerns around declining outcomes, including the 2025 Form Five results, are not isolated events; they signal deeper structural strain. Many learners are leaving school without the skills demanded by a global economy that now prioritises digital literacy, critical thinking, innovation and adaptability.

Infrastructure gaps, overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and uneven access to quality education threaten to widen inequality rather than reduce it.

If education does not evolve with global demands, we risk producing generations that are educated, yet unemployable. That failure does not show itself overnight. It appears slowly — through rising youth unemployment, frustration, dependency and lost potential. By the time the crisis is visible, the damage is already deep.

ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION AND LONG-TERM RISK

Equally concerning is our continued reliance on a narrow economic base — another concern from the Head of State.

When our economy depends heavily on a few sectors, it becomes vulnerable to shocks — whether from climate change, global market shifts or political instability beyond our control — we have already experienced this.

Without meaningful diversification, growth remains fragile and opportunities limited. Young people will continue to struggle to find work not because they have no ambition, but because the economy cannot absorb them.

If this persists, innovation will stall, small businesses will struggle to scale and the country will remain exposed to external decisions over which it has little influence.

Economic diversification should not be treated as a luxury; it is our insurance. It will allow our economy to adapt, create new industries and provide dignity for the nation through work. Failing to pursue it aggressively risks locking the country into cycles of dependence and stagnation.

VIGILANCE IS A NATIONAL HABIT

The king’s remarks on foot and mouth disease, therefore, reach far beyond livestock.

They force us to ask uncomfortable questions — if we can become complacent about protecting something as central as our cattle, where else are we letting our guard down?

Public health, education and economic planning all demand the same discipline: early action, sustained investment and public commitment.

The lesson from FMD is not isolated — reacting late is always more costly than preventing early.

Being vigilant in our case should begin with humility — accepting that past victories do not shield us from future failure. It requires education that remains relevant, honest engagement with young people and stronger domestic systems that reduce over-reliance on external rescue.

Above all, vigilance must become a habit. It means valuing maintenance as much as achievement. Progress is not a destination; it is a condition that must be protected daily.

FINAL THOUGHTS

The real danger is not that one day His Majesty will again warn of failure — whether in health, education or the economy.

The real danger is recognising the pattern too late, as we have done with FMD.

History has already taught us.

The question is whether we are willing to listen to the King and act — before it repeats itself in areas with far greater consequences.

Until next week, God bless.

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