GATE LOCKED AT REGISTRATION CENTRE

PIGG’S PEAK – The Pigg’s Peak Magistrates Court, which was identified as one of the voter registration centres, had its gate locked at 8am.

This is the time when the registration was scheduled to begin. EBC officials who were to register the electorate where nowhere to be found. It later turned out that the delegated community team to assist in the registration exercise had been supposedly informed by EBC officials to gather at the Pigg’s Peak Town Council, where they (EBC officials) were to meet them and have the registration exercise carried out. It further transpired that the EBC had opted to use yet another venue and the delegated community team was instructed to go to the District Commissioner’s (DC) Offices where the registration exercise was to then take place. The voter registration exercise had to then be carried out at the old Magistrates Court, which its offices are housed at the DC Offices.

Another challenge was the weak network, which was down the entire time such that those who intended to register were manually registered and their registration details were to be uploaded into the EBC system once the network had been restored. About 15 people registered in Pigg’s Peak and among the first was former Indvuna Yenkhundla Muzi Phiri. He made it no secret that if the electorate nominated him to run for the same position again, he would not hesitate to contest the election. He said he did not wish to be nominated for the Member of Parliament (MP) or bucopho positions, but would prefer to be nominated for the indvuna yenkhundla position. “It is my constitutional right to register for the national elections. I believe that it is important to register and vote for any person who wants to see change and, therefore, participation in the elections is key,” he said. Lucky Matsebula is the incumbent Pigg’s Peak Indvuna Yenkhundla.   

Reservations

Asked if the current political atmosphere did not make him have any reservations in taking part in this year’s national elections, Phiri said; “People know what they want. It they think full participation in the national elections will bring the desired change, then they must exercise their right of taking part in the elections. For me, I think I will welcome whatever situation is there.” Another registered voter, Phumuzile Ndwandwe said the main reason she had decided to register for the national elections was to exercise her right to choose a candidate of her choice. “I intend to vote for an MP whom I believe will help the electorate. It is not my first time voting and I expect the person we will elect to talk of issues affecting us in Parliament,” she said. Ndwandwe said the person she would vote for must pay more attention in enhancing the economy of the country, which entailed job creation, so that all emaSwati could live a good life. On the outskirts of Pigg’s Peak Town, the EBC has stationed other voter registration centres for the convenience of local communities.

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