Housing ministry taken to court over local govt elections

MANZINI – Some concerned Vuvulane town residents have taken the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to court over local government elections.

There are 10 applicants in the matter and they are represented by /awyer DerricN Jele of 5obinson %ertram. They are Sylvester Dlamini, Thabo Dlamini, Thabo 9ilaNati and NNosinathi Ma]iya. The others are Hlobsile Ngo]o, /uNe Shabangu, Ncobile *umed]e, Mfundo MasuNu, Sicelo Nene and Nhlanhla Mngometulu.

The first respondent is the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Prince Simelane, while the Principal Secretary (PS) in the ministry, Clifford

Mamba, who doubles as the interim Chairman of 9uvulane Town %oard, is the second respondent.

9uvulane Town %oard Deputy Chairperson =andile Tsabed]e is the third respondent, while 9uvulane Town %oard (represented by Town ClerN Melusi Hlan]e) and the $ttorney *eneral, Sifiso Khumalo, are the fourth and fifth respondents, respectively.

Reasonable

The applicants want the court to order or compel the first to fourth respondents to taNe all reasonable steps to ensure the registration of eligible voters for the election of the 9uvulane Town %oard councillors forthwith, for the year 202 .

They also want the first to fourth respondents to be ordered and/or compelled and/or directed to taNe all reasonable steps to ensure that the eligible voters for the 9uvulane Town %oard elect their own councillors every five-year term with immediate effect.

They called upon the respondents to show cause, on a date to be fixed by court, why the above prayers should not be made final. They submitted that the respondents should be ordered to pay the costs of the application.

/abourer at 9uvulane /abour Offices Sylvester Dlamini told the court that the applicants were some of the eligible voters, who were willing to vote in the election of councillors for 9uvulane Town %oard.

The veracity of these allegations is still to be tested in court. The minister and other respondents are yet to file their answering papers.

He added that the minister had allegedly called for the registration of voters for all town %oards and town councils in the Kingdom of Eswatini, but PS Mamba had purportedly refused to have the local government elections for 9uvulane Town %oard held. The reason was that the elections should not be held without any lawful and/ or justifiable reason despite written demand.

Registration

Sylvester said the applicants, as residents and eligible voters for local government elections, had a constitutional right provided for in Sections 218 - 22 of the Constitution to elect councillors during each five-year term. He added that this right was also contained in the Urban *overnment $ct of 1 and the Elections 5egulations.

He argued that the registration of voters in other towns was ongoing and what would now follow would be the dates for the elections.

In that regard, he submitted that if the applicants were to adhere to the time limits, the registration of voters would have long passed as it was ga]etted and the period of voting would have ended.

The respondents are represented by Principal Crown Counsel Mbuso Dlamini and they are opposed to the application.

They will file their answering papers tomorrow and the applicants will file replying papers next Tuesday. Judge Ticheme Dlamini will hear the matter next Friday.