MANZINI - It does not sit well with some quarters that the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) has employed over 517 civil servants to work in the 2023 General Elections.
These employees work in various designations such as drivers, as well as deployed to work in administrative duties. This is according to information sourced from impeccable sources. The government workers get allowances for working in the elections from the EBC. It is worth noting that in February this year, the EBC invited all emaSwati to apply for job sin this year’s general elections. The commission, in a statement, said the job opportunities for the 2023 National Elections were open to everyone. It was highlighted that EBC had made available job application forms, which could be easily filled and were accessible in all the constituency centres in the country. EmaSwati were informed that the application forms should be filled and were supposed to be left at the constituency centres or with the regional administrators (RAs).
Elections
The country has already started the process for the 2023 National Elections, where special voting for the primary elections will be on August 22 and the main primary elections will be on August 26, as announced by the commission. Although he could not state the total number of civil servants employed to work in the elections, the commission’s Communications Officer, Mbonisi Bhembe, said they had engaged several government employees, who had been assigned various duties in different designations. Bhembe said some designations were directly election-related, while others were specific to certain tasks, for example; drivers and those who were assisting in administrative duties. The communications officer confirmed that the civil servants engaged by the commission to work in the elections received an allowance from the EBC. However, he did not wish to divulge the amount. He mentioned that the commission required a specific amount of days from the civil servants to work in the elections. “Normally, we request government to release these employees from their duties to give way to working in the elections, especially those who are doing administrative duties. We request for a certain number of days for those who are working in the elections to ensure that they are not disturbed while executing election duties,” the communications officer said.
However, some unemployed emaSwati are of the view that the court should stop the hiring of civil servants in the elections. Trevor Ndlovu, who is a member of the Association of Unemployed EmaSwati and doubles as a nominee of the Manzini North Constituency, vying for the Member of Parliament (MP) position, noted that there were 517 polling stations and in each, there were two presiding officers, who were civil servants. Ndlovu said if one did calculations by multiplying the 517 by two, the outcome was over 1 000 civil servants employed to work in the elections. “The only course of action that can be taken is to obtain an interdict from the High Court, compelling the Elections and Boundaries Commission to revoke the appointment of civil servants from performing its functions, and with immediate effect,” Ndlovu asserted.
He further highlighted that while civil servants were being employed, there were many emaSwati who were at home and deprived of the opportunity to work. Ndlovu stated that what was disheartening was that some of these were qualified. According to Ndlovu, he had noted this trend of EBC engaging government officials since 2008 and it was wrong. He added that it could be rectified and this was through a course of action, which was that the commission should revoke the engagement of civil servants.
Asserted
Meanwhile, Ndlovu asserted that the EBC should disclose the number of applications it received from both the unemployed and employed. He said the fact of the matter was that there was a majority of those who applied and did not get the jobs, including graduates, much against civil servants who were now ‘double employed’, albeit for a certain period. “It is unfortunate that the elections job does not even require much as it can be done by an ordinary liSwati with a Form V certificate,” he said. As a nominee vying for the MP position and an industrial law consultant, Ndlovu said he was passionate on issues of unemployment and would look to fight for their rights. When asked to react on this assertion, EBC Communications Officer Bhembe was of the view that this was an unfair view, which was coming from an uninformed position, taking into consideration that the commission had taken a sizeable number of employees to work in the elections.
Bhembe was further queried on the ratio of civil servants working in the elections to those who were ordinarily unemployed. Although he did not reveal the total number, Bhembe said given the estimate of 517 workers who were civil servants, the number of people employed to work in the elections who were ordinarily unemployed was greater. “If you look at the last elections, there were over 7 000 employees and considering this proportion, people should be giving credit to the commission that it really did take in a sizeable number of unemployed individuals. We cannot leave all the assignments to the unemployed, there are specific tasks that will be allocated to management,” the communications officer quipped. He mentioned that looking over the past years since the commission was established, it started with employing those who were predominantly civil servants, especially teachers. “As time went on, we came to a point where we decided that the elections were for all emaSwati. Elections are not the only process of putting the ballot paper. They also involve work. So, we said people should be given the opportunity to work,” Bhembe said.
He elaborated that the commission also went further from employing the unemployed, to including special groups such as those with disabilities, by assigning them a specific quota. The commission’s mouthpiece reiterated that the commission had been progressing over the years, such that from the about 517 civil servants who were reportedly given jobs at the elections versus previous years, one would notice the change in the commission employing the unemployed. The country’s unemployment rate currently sits at 33 per cent, while that of the youth alone is at 58.2 per cent.