By Mbono Mdluli
MBABANE – The anticipated plastic ban scheduled for January 31, 2025, will not take place, according to Khubuta Member of Parliament (MP) Masiphula Mamba.
Mamba made this statement today when asked about the contentious issue. He explained that the ban would not happen because the matter is still being deliberated upon by Parliament. He urged Emaswati to place their trust in the august House, which is still working on this issue. Consequently, there is no plastic ban as of January 31.
The Khubuta legislator, who is also the chairperson of the Parliament Select Committee set up to investigate the plastic ban, said, “The Select Committee has met once so far and set its terms of reference. We plead with Emaswati to be patient and trust that the House is working on this issue, which means there will be no plastic ban on January 31.”
Mamba further stated that action would only be taken once the House has made a resolution on the matter. This will follow the tabling of a report detailing the findings and recommendations of the Select Committee. He also highlighted that the committee still needs to address a petition submitted by manufacturers, recyclers, and other stakeholders, which calls for Parliament to investigate how the date of January 31 was determined.
In a meeting held on November 28, 2024, it was decided that the plastic ban, initially set for December 1, 2024, would be postponed to January 31, 2025. The meeting, led by Minister of Tourism and Environmental Affairs Jane Mkhonta-Simelane, involved retailers and concluded that January 31, 2025, would be the final date for plastic usage. “This means by February 1, 2025, there should be no plastics in shops,” Mkhonta-Simelane stated in an interview with EBIS. She also clarified that not all types of plastics would be banned on January 31.
The December 1, 2024, ban was first announced by Prime Minister Russell Dlamini in May 2024 during a meeting with the House of Assembly Portfolio Committee at the Prime Minister’s Office. Later that day, Minister Mkhonta-Simelane made the announcement public.
