Some elections officers still not paid 5 months later

MBABANE – Five months after the 2023 General Elections, some of the officers have not been paid.

According to a representative of the unpaid officers, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), had promised them that they would receive their pay on the second week of January.

The representative represents around 70 unpaid polling officers who were stationed at several polling stations in the Hhohho Region.

These stations were in Mbabane West and East constituencies, and others in the region.

According to the aggrieved polling officers, they offered their services during nominations that were held in July, primary elections, as well as secondary elections, that were held on September 29, 2023.

For the threefolds of the national exercise, the representatives said they were supposed to be paid E4 500. They revealed that they waited for their money to be paid, but the commission kept on promising them. Late last year they revealed that they were told to get their accounts in order. The officers expected to be paid through bank accounts and mobile money.

“We have been seeing people being paid left, right and centre while we are given the run-around,” said the representative.

The representatives said they ended up visiting EBC offices at Nkhanini for an explanation of the payment delay. The officers were then advised to submit new claim forms to the commission and were promised that they would be paid on the second week of January.

“A month has passed but nothing has been reflected in our account,” said the representatives.

The officers said they were frustrated. They hoped they would use their pay for their children’s school necessities especially because they were unemployed.

Meanwhile, EBC Chairman Mhlaba Dlamini acknowledged that there had been a delay in payment of some officers whose services were during the general elections.

He stated that there were quite several technicalities that resulted in the delay of payments for the officers.

“We have engaged the Treasury Department and we received a confirmation that by the end of next week all officers would have been paid their wages,” he said.

He explained that most officers had been paid, only one per cent remained who would be paid by the end of next week.

(File pic) Polling officers and clerks sorting out votes during the primary elections. This is not to suggest that these are the unpaid officers referred to in the story, but the picture has been used for demonstration purposes.