E-READINESS QUESTIONNAIRE FOR NORTH ... - Kunnat.net

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Table 53: Number of Personal Computers per 100 of the population of Swaziland
Year Value
2000 1.17
2001 1.55
2002 2.42
2003 2.9
2004 3.48
2005 4.07
2006 4.08
Source: United Nations Statistics Division.
8.7 Mbabane Local Government
Mbabane (Swati: ÉMbábáne), with an estimated population of 95,000 (2007), is the
capital and largest city of Swaziland. It is located on the Mbabane River and its tributary
the Polinjane River in the Mdimba Mountains. It is located in the district of Hhohho,
of which it is also the capital. The population (estimated) in 1987 was 30,000.
The town grew after the nation’s administrative centre moved from Bremersdorp
(now called Manzini) in 1902. It derives its name from a Chief, Mbabane Kunene,
who lived in the area when British settlers arrived. It is also a commercial hub for the
surrounding region, while tin and iron were mined nearby 93 .
The Municipal Council of Mbabane is governed by the Urban Government Act
of 1969. It is a progeny of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development which
is responsible for general governance of the urban areas in Swaziland. The Minister of
Housing and Urban Development delegates most of his powers to the public to run
the affairs of their own urban community. The public then elects a body of Councillors
to form the Municipal Council which will in turn exercise the delegated authority
to run the municipality. The Council enjoys a certain degree of autonomy. The
responsibility of the Council is to make policies and draw different pieces of legislation
necessary for the implementation of these policies. The minister, however, has to assent
fi rst to most of these operations.
The Council employs a Town Clerk (Chief Executive Offi cer or City Manager) to
implement the policies and dictates pronounced at Council convergences. This offi
cer reports direct to Council and in certain instances, to the minister. The other offi
cers that are directly employed by the Councillors are the Directors of Public Works,
Health and Finance. These offi cers can only be dismissed by the Council. The rest of
the managers and staff are employed at the instance of the Chief Executive Offi cer 94 .
Mbabane, and Swaziland itself, depend on tourism and sugar exports. The city has
two sites for light industries.
8.8 E-Readiness Analysis for Mbabane
93 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mbabane
94 http://www.mbabane.ord.sz/
E-Readiness analysis for Mbabane based on questionnaire (see appendix). The electricity
supply within the local government area is very good. Most households have access
to a radio, TV and mobile phone access is very high. The availability of computers to
households was average with the cost of internet access being high. Not many residents
can easily afford to access the internet due to this high cost.
On governance, responses indicate that the local government authority has shown a
high commitment to the use if ICT for service delivery and these executives themselves
have good competence in basic computer skills e.g. in browsing the internet, sending