EMPLOYMENT ROW OVER NEW MPs

Swazi Observer

14 October 2008

‘SUCH PEANUTS'

By Njabulo Dlamini

ELECTIONS under Mhlume Inkhundla might have to be held again after two winners threw doubts over their ability to serve as Indvuna Yenkhundla and Bucopho respectively.

The Indvuna Yenkhundla is Victor Mdakane and Bucopho is Pat Mokoena.

The MP, Siphiwe Kunene, who was employed as Section Manager has already assumed her Parliamentary duties and will leave the company.

MPs get approximately E26 000 a month.

Mokoena, who was Personel Officer at the RSSC is entitled to about E13 000 (including salary and all other perks and benefits) whilst Mdakane may get about E10 000, including basic salary and other perks.

If they assume the Indvuna and Bucopho jobs, they stand to get E2 000 and R3 000 respectively - a major departure from what they get at the RSSC.

Mokoena has chosen to remain with the company, whilst the Headman, Victor Mdakane is yet to decide.

They have been asked to either resign from their posts and pursue the new appointments.

The action by the RSSC is viewed by some as akin to unfair dismissal.

The feeling is that they should have been granted leave of absence instead of being asked to resign.

They have also been asked to vacate houses and surrender company property.

Correspondence titled 'Procedure for handling appointments to political office, public office or similar non-RSSC roles', is dated September 18, 2008, a day before secondary elections.

"It is intriguing why the company chose to release the document on the 18th; where were they all along?"some wondered.

The correspondence states: "Any employee who intends to engage or become involved in any external, non-RSSC, business interests is required to declare such interests by written application to the Managing Director as provided in Human Resources Procedure 1.3".

5.1 states that the offer of employment at RSSC is made and accepted on the basis of full-time employment in terms of which employees are expected to dedicate 100% of their time and energy towards meeting the goals and objectives of the corporation.

'Therefore, unless approved by the corporation in accordance with HR Procedure 1.3 (Avoidance of Conflict of Interest) employees shall not undertake any other job or appointment during the tenure of their employment'.

In 5.2 of the regulation is states that to become an MP, Indvuna YeNkhundla or Bucopho beNkhundla is deemed to be a full-time occupation.

'Any serving employee who assumes such appointment, cannot adequately perform the two functions of employee in RSSC and the other external business commitments at the same time'.

5.3 Any employee who elects to take up political office, public appointment or other external engagement will be required to resign his/her employment with the Corporation.

In 7.1.1 it says once the appointments have been made, the manager concerned will brief the employee about company policy as stated in these guidelines.

7.1.2 The employee will consider and should he/she elect to pursue the political/public career he/she will complete form HR 3.12.3 (Notice of Termination) formalising the decision to resign from the employ of the corporation.

The HR procedure is signed by General Manager Joe Shilubane and John Du-Plessis.

MP Kunene confirmed that the company wrote to them about the matter.

Human Resources Manager - Administration Dumsani Dlamini referred inquiries to the MD who was unavailable.

EBC comments

MEANWHILE, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) Chairman Chief Gija Dlamini said there was nothing much they could do about the developments.

"The only setback would be if the entire inkhundla team were to step down meaning fresh elections staged.

That would be a financial setback to us but there's nothing we could do to get to that.

"Otherwise each organisation has its own set of rules as seen with government which asked civil servants to either resign or proceed on a five-year leave.

Other organisations may opt to proceed on a different route as seen in this instance. It's beyond the EBC's grasp," Chief Gija said.

Otherwise, he noted, their hope was for an amicable settlement between the two parties.

Link http://www.observer.org.sz/main.php?id=47646&section=main

SWAZI ELECTION 'FREE AND FAIR'

Botswana Press Agency

2 October 2008

Swaziland conducts free and fair poll

GABORONE – The Southern African Development Community (SADC) electoral observer mission has commended Swaziland for holding free, peaceful, transparent and credible elections.

The mission was invited to observe the elections held in Swaziland recently.

The mission, which was led by the Deputy Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Mr Armando Guebuza, comprised 60 members who were deployed in all four regions of the kingdom.

A statement from the mission says the elections reflected the will of the people of Swaziland and congratulated them for the lesson of civility, good behaviour and mutual tolerance.

With regard to the voting process, the mission noted that polling stations were located in neutral places such as schools, churches and civic centres.

The mission noted that polling stations opened and closed at the prescribed time and the proceedings unfolded in an orderly manner. It said both electoral officials and voters behaved in a civic way that characterised the true African spirit.

The electoral officials, it says, performed their duties in a competent, professional, efficient and effective manner and no sign of anxiety or tension could be observed.

To improve the electoral system in the future, the SADC observer mission recommended the extension of the period between the primary and the secondary elections to ensure the conclusion of possible court cases before the final stage.

Improvement of civic education and voting procedures especially to cater for the senior and physically challenged citizens were also called for.

In carrying out their activities, the members of the mission acquainted themselves with the constitution and other laws and regulations governing the electoral process in Swaziland.

The members and the leader of the mission are said to have interacted with civil society, the news media, the electoral and boundaries mission, the law enforcement agents, international missions and various communities.

BOPA

Link http://www.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20081002&i=Swaziland_conducts_free_and_fair_poll

NOT ENOUGH WOMEN ELECTED

Inter Press Service

1 October 2008

Struggling Against Tradition

Mantoe Phakathi

MBABANE, Oct 1 (IPS) - The crowd ululated, whistled and danced. Their candidate had won! Last Sunday, the people of Mbabane East returned Esther Dlamini to Swaziland's House of Assembly for a second term.

A court-ordered recount of votes found that she had indeed won 1,621 votes out of 2,461 cast in this suburb of Swaziland's capital, and her voters were celebrating in the community hall where the ruling was read.

"They ganged up against me but I won!" exulted the former police officer and mother of five, and ululated in joy. She was referring to her opponents who had challenged the earlier results in court.

Dlamini was one of seven women elected to the 55-member House of Assembly in the polls held on Sep. 19 and 27.

The number does not bring Swaziland even remotely close to the Southern African Development Community target -- approved in August -- of having 50 per cent women in Parliament by 2015.

But it is not bad compared to five women MPs elected in the 2003 elections and just two in 1998.

And it is even better when considering that Swaziland is Africa's last remaining absolute monarchy, where adult women were considered legal minors until a couple of years ago.

One reason behind the increase in women candidates and voters is the vigorous campaign, organised by 11 women's groups under the slogan "Make the Right Choice: Vote for a Woman". Through media and meetings in more than 100 communities, the campaign encouraged women to vote for women and to run for office.

The campaign banked on the unusual fact that more women than men are registered as voters in Swaziland. According to the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), out of 400,000 eligible voters, 350,780 registered. Of these, about 192,000 are women and 158 760 are men. This should give women an edge if they chose to vote for female candidates.

The campaign attracted strong criticism from traditional leaders in this tiny country of less than a million people. Chiefs from the eastern Shiselweni region, complained loudly that the campaign gave women an unfair advantage.

Chief Dambuza Lukhele argued to the EBC that elections should be based on individual merit and not on group status. Lukhele is a member of the Ludzidzini Council, an advisory body to the powerful Queen Mother, and a former Cabinet Minister.

"This campaign is biased, emotional and provocative, and unhealthy for a country such as Swaziland," Lukhele told IPS. "What if other disadvantaged groups come up and also do their own campaigns?"

Nonhlanhla Dlamini, the gender unit coordinator at the Ministry of Home Affairs, says that a lot that needs to be done to change the prevailing attitude towards women.

"Society is not ready to give women a chance," she told IPS.

Some of the 33 women candidates reported receiving telephone threats from anonymous men who told them to desist from running, revealed Lomcebo Dlamini, coordinator of the rights group Women and Law in Southern Africa-Swaziland (WLSA).

The odds are stacked against women from the very structure of Swaziland's unique Tinkhundla system of governance, where political parties are banned and people elected on individual merit. In theory, any citizen can stand for elections and campaign for a seat in Parliament but women lack the political clout, financial means, understanding of the system and, crucially, the chiefs' approval.

The role of the House of Assembly is not to pass legislation and be a check to the executive, explains WLSA's Dlamini. Rather, MPs are agents of community development. With few women MPS, "women lack the resources to be visible in the communities," she says.

The next hope for Swazi women to increase their representation lies with the arcane system of appointments by the King to the Assembly and by the King and the Assembly to the 50-member Senate.

Dlamini explains that the Constitution calls for 22 women to be appointed to both houses if they do not reach 30 percent representation in the polls.

However, she adds, this does not mean that the Constitution mandates 30 per cent representation in Parliament. The five women elected and the 22 appointments makes 27, out of a total of 106 members of both houses. (The Attorney General is the ex-officio 106th member.)

"This does not give you 30 percent of the total Members of Parliament," says Dlamini.

The next step for the activists is to lobby Parliament to appoint women who are gender champions.

One impressive victory is the election at Ludzeludze constituency in the Manzini region of the outspoken activist Nonhlanhla Dlamini, director of the Swaziland Action Group Against Abuse.

"Besides the fact that society lacks confidence in women leadership, you still get some stereotypes who want to know who is going to take care of domestic responsibilities if women go to Parliament," she told IPS.

The burden of AIDS -- Swaziland has the world's highest seroprevalence rate with about one-third of adults infected -- falls mainly on women as carers of the sick and the orphaned.

Combining work and domestic responsibility, says Dlamini, "is such big challenge such that most of them don't stand for elections because they feel they won't cope."

Link http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/nota.asp?idnews=44085

AT LEAST ONE SWAZI MP MAKES IT BACK

Swazi Observer

30 September 2008

Voters had no choice but to elect me - Mavimbela

By Njabulo Dlamini

MHLAMBANYATSI MP-elect Petros Mavimbela says he is not surprised that the electorate re-elected him as ‘they had no choice’.

Mavimbela said he had done all he could to improve the profile of the constituency as well as assisting it develop and the people had taken note of it.

“I was not surprised because we managed to have a high school (Lundzi) established through funding from donors and had the ministry of education on board to give assurance teachers would be recruited to work there.

“At first, parents were skeptical about the project noting such structures would become white elephants since government would not provide them with teachers. But they were proved wrong as the ministry supported the exercise and as we speak, we are adding a class each year and next year Form Three will be added so that soon it shall be a fully-fledged high school,” Mavimbela said.

The Mhlambanyatsi MP-elect said his van was also available for use anytime by residents under the constituency and the only requirement being that they had to fill it up (with petrol). A clinic was also put up at Zondwako through donor funding and two more schools; Mgotshane High (opening in January next year) and Dingizwe Community Primary.

His victory excited him because a number of issues were left hanging, especially at the ministry of education.

He took particular interest with the ministry since he was chairman of the portfolio committee there during the last parliament. “We worked well with the former principal secretary (John Kunene) and Minister Themba Msibi,” he said, noting the various issues left pending at the ministry needed to be followed up until due implementation.

Mavimbela won the elections under his constituency and is amongst the few ex-MPs of the previous parliament who made it back to parliament.

Whilst he made it back, his neighbours Vulindlela Msibi (Ngwemphisi) and Patrick Pha Motsa (Mangcongco) failed in their bid to return to parliament. They both lost in the primary elections stage.

Link http://www.observer.org.sz/main.php?id=47272&section=main

MORE WINNERS AND LOSERS

(There are several reports on this file)

Swazi Observer

29 September 2008

Esther Dlamini says her competitors all ganged-up on her

By Nelsiwe Ndlangamandla

DESPITE winning the elections Esther Dlamini, Mbabane East elect said she had a lot of challenges.

Dlamini said her name was tainted and she had to go to court for something she did not do.

She said when rumours did the rounds that 600 voters were unknown it devastated her.

"This was the hardest time in my life because I did not know any of the things I was accused of."

She said at this point she did not know whether the voters will ever trust her again.

She stated some of the candidates ganged up on her.

"This made this year's election race very challenging for me."

Dlamini said there were a lot of people against her especially in Fonteyn. She quoted an incident where she went there to campaign and was turned back by the community.

"I had bags of mealie meal that day, they told me to go back with them. It was only the elderly who insisted that I should leave the bags and I did it for their sake."

Dlamini said winning the elections meant that people still believed in her and she would continue to serve them.

She said she did not buy any votes but people saw her for the good person she is.

She further invited the other candidates who did not make it to help her in the development of the Mbabane East constituency.

"I know that some people hold on to the past but it is time to move forward and develop our constituency."

Link http://www.observer.org.sz/main.php?id=47236&section=main

Swazi Observer

29 September 2008

I lost because I've got no money - Jabulani

By Nelsiwe Ndlangamandla

Jabulani Nxumalo says he lost the Mbabane East election because he had no money.

He says if he had the money, he would have done what his competitors did - buying voters booze and other things the voters would have wanted.

"I lost the elections, but with dignity - a clean conscience and clean hands because I did not destroy anybody's life by buying them alcohol."

Nxumalo said he believed that Esther Dlamini who beat him in the secondary elections is the right person to respresent the people of Mbabane in Parliament.

"The people have spoken and I believe they chose the right candidate."

Nxumalo said one thing that people forget is that they should do things with the future in mind.

Asked on what he would do to ensure he wins next time he said he would do nothing.

"There is nothing I would do because people need to have parties and booze which destroys their lives."

Nxumalo lost the Mbabane East Member of Parliament seat to Esther Dlamini.

Dlamini is going for her second term in parliament. Dlamini won with 1 621 votes while Nxumalo only had 682 votes.

Link http://www.observer.org.sz/main.php?id=47238&section=main

Swazi Observer

29 September 2008

Jennifer wins elections for timphisini constituency

By Njabulo Dlamini

THE only woman candidate for Timphisini and former civil servant - Jennifer Du Pont-Shiba has won the elections in her constituency.

Her victory brings to seven the number of women MPs in the legislature so far after Esther Dlamini won at Mbabane East over the weekend.

But it looks like the outspoken Du Pont-Shiba, who was nominated at Ludzibini chiefdom but had her victory challenged at the High Court in the primary elections, is once again facing a similar predicament this time round.

No sooner had she been declared the winner that the other candidates protested and raised their displeasure noting she had not produce her letter of resignation from the civil service.

She had to quickly rush home to fetch the letter after Mphucuko Mamba, director of Multi-Care Automobile garage in Manzini - who was placed third - demanded that she produced it.

Eventually the former nurse at Herefords Clinic produced the letter.

During the same election, Nelson Mamba was elected Constituency Headman.

Du Pont amassed 928 votes. Of her victory, Du Pont said it was an exciting moment for her since it meant their (women) numbers in the legislature were increasing hence they would be in a position to lobby for legislation in their favour.

"I was constantly worried that Swaziland was still lagging behind in meeting the SADC quota of 30 % representation at the highest decision making level, parliament.

It pained me to realise that men were outnumbering us in the Legislature and no wonder laws in our favour were not passed.

"I believe together with the other women MPs, we will work together for a common goal of uplifting the fairer sex in all aspects," she said.

She said it was time people, especially women, were empowered to vote for each other since they outnumbered men in terms of population.

Asked what her priorities would be, she simply said that could best be answered by the electorate.

"They requested me to stand for elections and I did; therefore they are better placed to mandate me on what's next now that I have won".

Other women MPs are; Trusty Gina (Nkilongo), Nonhlanhla Dlamini (Ludzeludze), Hlobsile Ndlovu (Pigg's Peak), Thandi Nxumalo (Manzini South), Esther Dlamini (Mbabane East) and Siphiwe Kunene (Mhlume).

Link http://www.observer.org.sz/main.php?id=47239&section=main

Swazi Observer

29 September 2008

Mphucuko loses, so does the community

IT remains to be seen whether Manzini businessman Mphucuko Mamba will continue with his projects now that he lost the elections under Timphisini constituency.

Mamba from Mvembili chiefdom, was helping residents earn a living through projects such as candle and floor polish manufacturing and had indicated this would be taken 'to a higher level'.

He had said his dream was to expand these and further help upgrade Lutheran Farmer's Training Centre - KaGesawu at Ngonini to be a fully fledged training institution in the same mould as Gwamile VOCTIM.

Mamba had said he would work on securing a market for farmers as their produce was rotting in their silos owing to unavailability of a market to sell.

"The other challenge affecting Timphisini constituency is water and I'll need to improve this especially from Msahweni area to Ludzibini chiefdom.

I'll have the ministries of Works and that of Agriculture assist me in realising this dream," Mamba said.

On the question of resources, he said these were plenty but somebody needed to push government into action, which he was willing to do.

However, yesterday his phone was off when attempts were made on his next step following the loss.

He lost to Jennifer Du Pont-Shiba who was the only woman candidate for the MP post in the constituency.

Mamba was third.

It was mainly at Ludzibini chiefdom where the tension was high as Mamba's campaign team was seen monitoring things closely as the other faction also kept an eye on proceedings.

Link http://www.observer.org.sz/main.php?id=47244&section=main