SUPERSTITION AT SWAZI POLL

Times of Swaziland

26 August 2008

SWAGAA Boss Nonhlanhla wins amid superstition drama

By MBONGISENI NHLEKO

SIGOMBENI – The Vote for a Woman campaign got a boost when Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA) Director Nonhlanhla Dlamini came up tops.

Dlamini scored 296 votes to beat three other candidates who are campaigning for a parliamentary seat under Ludzeludze Constituency.

However there was near drama at Sigombeni polling station when some nominees were stopped from taking home ballot depictions to keep as souvenirs due to super natural beliefs.

This was shortly after the conclusion of the elections where the losing candidates requested from the polling officers to take home the pictures posted on the wall at the entrance to the polling station just to show friends and relatives that they once stood for national elections.

Seeing that the voting exercise had progressed smoothly, the officers did not object to that.

However, that was not to be as some of the candidates had ill-feelings that their pictures could not be taken away.

Their claim was that anything could be done to the pictures. The feelings were purely based on super natural beliefs.

The Presiding Officer Roy Sibandze called those who had taken the pictures and asked them to return them and they obliged.

"People are very cautious. They question anything. People just loved their pictures because they were beautifully printed," said one voter.

The SWAGAA Director declined to delve much on the issue because she was not the rightful person to comment about it. Dlamini said she was delighted to have won the elections amid stiff competition.

She will not stand against Lozitha’s Sifiso Mtsetfwa. Other candidates will come from Nkamanzi and Mbekelweni.

Link http://www.times.co.sz/News/914.html