Žicence team resumes ins’ections
MBABANE – The TV licence inspection exercise has once again intensified, following the abrupt stop of this activity in 2020 due to COVID-19, and compliance is on the decline.
In and around Mbabane, Ezulwini, Matsapha and Manzini, the TV licence team of inspectors visited different establishments with the purpose of verifying whether a business or an individual owning a device(s) capable of recording, receiving and communicating television signal was in possession of a current TV licence.
According to TV Licence Project Manager Modicai Donga, a total of 300 businesses and 100 residential areas have been inspected and the results of the inspections conducted so far revealed that the level of TV licence compliance had declined.
Inspection
During the inspection visits to businesses and residential areas, the TV licence inspectors found that about 100 businesses and individuals, in and around Mbabane, Ezulwini, Matsapha and Manzini, were in possession of valid TV licences which is proof that one is up to date with payment of TV licence fees. The TV licence fees are usually to be paid on or before December 31 annually. Those who had not paid at the time of the inspection opted to do so after persuasion by the inspectors to avoid finding themselves on the wrong side of the law. Some of the businesses during the inspections stated that they had failed to pay due to financial challenges they faced, as business was slow and some individuals said they had lost their jobs. “Between 2020 and 2021 when TV licence door-to-door inspections came to a halt, the project resorted to carrying out desktop inspections, a process which requires that an officer uses the TV licence system to verify whether a client has paid or not.
Payment
Information obtained from the system gives an indication of the client’s status of payment which most of the time has been wanting and possibly has been a factor to to the decrease in the number of paying clients,” stated Donga. He further said the resumption of the door-to-door TV licence inspections came as a relief for a number of clients, who said they were no longer sure how they would be able to obtain their TV licences once payment was made, as there were different options available to make payments.
“As an office, clients are assured that we will always communicate any changes. We are also cognisant of the fact that a number of TV licence clients have been faced with challenging times recently and extend appreciation to the citizens who have continued to pay their TV licence fees. We also request that those who are facing financial constraints to not keep away until they are listed as defaulters. The TV Licence Office is open to helping each client make payment arrangements as per the need presented,” said the TV Licence project manager.