Council Partners With Redeemed Christian Church, Donates Food To 200 Families
In the wake of the persistent Covid-19 pandemic which has worsened the state of poverty amongst many destitute families in the City of Manzini, the Municipal Council of Manzini and the Redeemed Christian Church Eswatini have entered into a partnership and donated food parcels to 200 families. Founded in 1952, the Redeemed Christian Church of God has a presence in over 165 countries globally and was established in the Kingdom of Eswatini in July 1996. Located in the City of Manzini, just above the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre, the church has 16 branches in the Kingdom of Eswatini and is presently under the leadership of Pastor Emmanuel Gboyega Oyinloye. The donation event was held last Sunday at the church’s premises and was, amongst others, attended by Manzini Mayor, Her Lordship Councillor Jabu Shiba, the church leadership, Councillors from the various municipal wards and Manzini Council Chief Executive Officer Lungile Dlamini.

Redeemed Christian Church Pastor Emmanuel Oyinloye saying some remarks during the event
In his remarks, Pastor Emmanuel said the church was deeply touched by the level of need in the communities; which situation has been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic. He said they decided to partner with the Municipality and sourced support from Africa Missions North America, a United States faith-based not-for-profit organization. He stated that rather than focusing only on the church’s membership they decided to widen the coverage and touch the lives of destitute families in the entire City of Manzini; working together with the Municipality. Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Margaret Ngubane thanked the church and the Municipality for lending a helping hand at a time of acute scarcity. She stated that the donated food items and toiletries would go a long way in ensuring that there is food on the table. She called on other churches, the business sector and individuals to take a leaf from the church and emulate the kind gesture. Meanwhile, Ncamiso Mkhonta, a visually impaired person who also received the food parcel thanked the Municipality for ensuring that it includes people with disability in the selection of beneficiaries. He said such showed that the Municipality indeed practiced its value of inclusion.
…MAYOR JABU SHIBA THANKS CHURCH, APPEALS FOR MORE PARTNERSHIPS
Manzini Mayor, Her Lordship Councillor Jabu Shiba has expressed gratitude to the Redeemed Christian Church for partnering with the Municipality and making a difference in the face of difficulties that have come about as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The following are her verbatim remarks rendered last Sunday during the donation of food parcels to 200 less privileged families;
Click Here to Download The Mayor’s Speech
“I would like to start by congratulating the Redeemed Christian Church of God in Eswatini, the Redeemed Christian Church of God International, Africa Missions Global and Africa Missions North America for demonstrating one of God’s commandments – “love thy neigbour as you love thy self”. This commandment is even more relevant during this present moment when the entire world is being pushed further into the abyss of poverty as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has caught the world off guard. Our lives, social structures, health systems and spirituality have been shaken by this pandemic. Some people have even given up hope of survival.
However, we get excited and our hope is rekindled when we see the church standing firm and extending a helping hand during this difficult period. Our strategic mission as the Municipality is “to provide quality municipal services that add value to all our customers through good governance and partnering with relevant stakeholders”. We are, therefore, grateful to the church for partnering with us as we strive to make a difference in the community that we serve. It is easy to deceive oneself into believing that poverty does not exist in the city. However, through studies that we have conducted as part of the Municipality’s social welfare services, we have discovered that poverty actually exists in the city – and in some cases to the most extreme levels. As a Municipality we do make an effort to implement some interventions but the fact is that resources are always limiting. That is the reason we always welcome and appreciate assistance from our social partners such as the church, the corporate sector and even individuals. A total of 200 less privileged members of our community will today be receiving food parcels.
However, the truth is that there are many more out there who need similar assistance. We trust that this kind gesture by the Redeemed Christian Church of God will be emulated by other churches, the business sector and even individual citizens. During this challenging period of Covid-19 the Municipality invites more partnerships as we strive to make a difference to the lives of the less advantaged segments of our urban citizens. The Bible says in the Book of Proverbs 19:17 “whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and He will reward them for what they have done”. As I conclude, and on behalf of the Municipality, I would like to once again express our most sincere appreciation to the Redeemed Christian Church of God for making a difference in our city. It would have been easy for the church to focus only on its membership. However, by expanding the coverage to the entire city you have indeed proven to be the light of the world. And God will bless you for that. The Book of Matthew 5: 15-16 says “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven”.
We also appreciate the face masks that the beneficiaries will be receiving as part of the donation. The face mask is one of the key preventative measures against Covid-19. I would like to implore citizens of Manzini to always wear a face mask and continue practising the other preventative measures such as frequent washing of hands with soap and running water, practicing social distancing and using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser. This will help flatten the Covid-19 curve in our city. We also express our sincere appreciation to everyone who has contributed in one way or the other to the fight against Covid-19 in our city. As a Municipality we are looking forward to more partnerships as we continue the fight against Covid-19. Working together, we can make a huge difference.
May God bless us all”.