WINNING ELECTIONS IS NO CHILD PLAY - MP MASHAYINKONJANE About the country’s elections
MANZINI North, MP, Mashayinkonjane Nhlengetfwa, this week, commended Minister Owen Nxumalo for his victory in the National Elections, last year.
Minister Nxumalo won the National General Elections last year under the Manzini South Constituency while Member of Parliament, Nhlengetfwa won at Manzini North.
In the past few months, Eswatini successfully held the National General Elections in over 59 constituencies. MP Nhlengetfwa commended the Minister of Education for eventually winning the elections during the Awards of Excellence Ceremony which was held at the Manzini Central High School, last Wednesday.
“I must commend you, Honourable Minister, for eventually winning the National General Elections. Winning the elections proved that you are the people’s choice and your integrity earned you His Majesty King Mswati III’S trust,” the MP said.
The MP pointed out to the Minister that winning the past elections was not an easy task. “You are the people’s choice and your humility and integrity played a most crucial role in earning you the votes at your Manzini South constituency. Our constituency share boundaries and I must say that we faced the same difficult task during the elections, last year,” the MP pointed out.
It should be noted that getting to Parliament demands a lot of campaigning and sacrifices from the aspiring lawmakers. Both the MP and the Minister were guests during the Excellence Awards where 49 pupils received cash awards from their Head Teacher, Celucolo Dlamini.
It was an emotional event as the pupils received cash awards ranging from E300 and E700 for topping all pupils during the 2023/2024 academic year. MP Nhlengetfwa, much to the amusement of the pupils and teachers during the event, revealed that he was a former pupil of the same school.
“I am a former pupil of this school and I am happy that one of my teachers is still present. I will forever cherish the time I spent in this school and I must say that the head teacher, teachers and the pupils are doing a great job,” lamented the MP.
Moreover, the MP pointed out that he was very glad that the school had developed quickly and the results were proof that there was dedication on the part of the head teacher, teachers and the parents.
Performing Pupils
The minister handed the awards to the pupils and then pledged 10 laptops from the ministry which will be given to the top 10 best performing pupils.
Meanwhile, the head teacher of the school, Celucolo Dlamini, informed the Minister and other guests that he was committed to maintaining the performance of the school.
Manzini Central High is now one of the top schools in the region and also in the rest of the country and I would like to commend the teachers for their agility, and commitment when executing their duties at the school which resulted in excellent results the school received in the past year,” the head teacher said.
The Parliament of Eswatini (or Libandla) is bicameral, consisting of a lower chamber (the House of Assembly) and an upper one (the Senate). Some of the members of both chambers are elected, while the rest are appointed by the King of Eswatini. Election is by secret ballot in a first-past-the-post system of voting. Members of both chambers serve for five-year terms. All candidates run on a non-partisan basis, as political parties are banned.
The Assembly has 66 members, of which 55 are elected from single-member constituencies corresponding to the Tinkhundlas (tribal communities). 14 Tinkhundlas are located in Hhohho District, 11 in Lubombo District, 16 in Manzini District, and 14 in Shiselweni District. Candidates are first nominated at the Tinkhundla level.
The top three finishers then proceed to a general election, where the candidate who receives the most votes is elected. The King appoints the other ten members, at least half of whom must be women. The 66th member is the Speaker of the House, who is elected from outside the House. If the percentage of women members falls below 30%, a maximum of four women may be elected from the administrative regions.
The House selects ten of the 30 members of the Senate, and the King appoints the rest. Of these, at least five of the ten and at least eight of the 20 must be women. However, according to the Inter-parliamentary Union database, in 2008, there were 12 women senators instead of the minimum stipulated 13, and in 2013, there were only 10.