PREVENTING SUICIDE

ELECTION FRAUD RECIPE?

1( of the most topical issues of the past week was the beginning of the registration process, for people who wish to vote in this year’s national elections.

The registration process began on May , and will go on until -une , .

:hen it began, the (lections and %oundaries &ommission (%& encountered a few hiccups here and there.

These were expected teething problems and at the end of the day, about people were said to have registered on the first day and

by the second day .

This was also no cause for panic, as it is a norm for human beings to always wait until the last minute to do things.

The numbers will probably go up in the next few weeks.

The (%& is evidently on a drive to get as many people as possible to register.

This vigour comes amid calls from some emaSwati for a boycott of the elections.

,t is also in the backdrop of calls by some to have the dialogue held before the elections.

:hat the (%& should be wary of is disproportionate relaxation of the rules for registration, in its bid to get more people to participate.

For example, one does not necessarily have to register where one will be voting.

:hile this is convenient for people who live far from their home areas because of work or other reasons, it could be a recipe for corruption.

People could end up voting in constituencies where they are not residents.

This has happened before. Hopefully, the (%& has stringent measures and the reTuired technology to ensure that this does not happen. Otherwise, chaos will reign.

:2 university students committed suicide on the same day last Sunday. 5easons for these tragic decisions could not be established but the fact that both were in institutions of higher learning gives a hint of some sort.

1onjabulo Mangwe was a second year student at the (swatini Medical &hristian 8niversity (M&8 and according to her family, had not shown any signs of depression. Lindokuhle Dlamini, on the other hand, was a thirdyear student at the 8niversity of (swatini 81(S:A .

,ncidentally, just a day after these shocking reports, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security was at pains, trying to clarify government’s position with regard to university and college students’ allowances.

,t claimed to have done its part and already paid allowances to

out of students. Delays were partly attributed to failure by some tertiary institutions to submit invoices to government on time. This is not the first time tertiary level students commit suicide, with government being blamed for delaying payment of their allowances. A permanent solution is reTuired before more deaths are recorded this year and in the future.