Stop charging residents – Ndabazabantu
PPEAK – Masheshisa Kunene, who is the Ndabazabantu in Pigg’s Peak, warned against inner councils that charge residents for date stamps.
“Aseniyekela kutsatsa tebantfu,” said Kunene.
He said as far as he was concerned, the residents were supposed to be getting a free service, yet they were being charged.
He said this was common, especially for those in need of scholarships as well as other government services. timali
Kunene said whenever people arrived at his office; they revealed that they were charged exorbitantly. He said some were charged between E50 and E100 just for a date stamp. He said this was wrong.
He said this was why some members of the inner council were holding on to date stamps of late chiefs because they were collecting money from them.
Kunene questioned why people needed to be charged for date stamps while at the same time they performed the duties of kuhlehla.
to stand independently, we even allow such to happen. The ballot box will decide,” he said.
He called for members to respect the process, also advising those who were aggrieved to formally lodge complains, especially in their branches so they can get help. He said in the 39 years that PUDEMO existed, it had allowed health contestation but not to fight and grapple for positions.
Further describing the process, he said once the IEC had been put in place, it controlled the whole process, including receiving the nominations and ensuring the vote was free and fair.
“The IEC also takes some names from the floor, just in case some people feel they can stand for the elections without being nominated at branch level. The media will also be invited to witness the election, though they may not cover some closed sessions of the congress,” he said.
He said the congress would be held in SA because in the 1990s PUDEMO had tried to hold it in Eswatini but was harassed by security forces. “We do not want to hold the congress while people keep looking outside the windows, expecting that the security forces could throw in tear gas to disperse the meeting,” he said.
He declined to state the number of branches, saying; “I can just say that PUDEMO has grown qualitatively and quantitatively over the years.”
However, with the formation of new political parties such as Swaziland Liberation Movement and Simagamaga and others, the party has lost some members.