MADE TO PAY FOR UMPHAKATSI STAMP? ... REPORT TO HOME AFFAIRS

MBABANE – The Ministry of Home Affairs is calling upon anyone who was made to pay for an umphakatsi stamp to come forward.

The ministry wants members of the public, who were charged a fee for the umphakatsi stamp and other services from their royal kraals to report to the ministry. Reports of members of the public who were charged a fee for services that are obtainable at a royal kraals have caused the ministry disappointment. The ministry was reacting to reports that some residents complained about being made to pay for the royal kraal stamps and confirmation letters issued by the imiphakatsi.

The Communications Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mlandvo Dlamini, said they were surprised to hear of reports about some people who failed to partake in the mopping exercise, because they did not have money to pay the umphakatsi stamp fee and they left empty-handed. Dlamini said these reports undermined government’s efforts of ensuring that every liSwati got birth, marriage and death certificates, as well as registered for identification (ID) documents, among others, which are essential to possess. The communications officer said since the mopping exercise was free-of-charge, they expected royal kraals to play a major role in assisting them with the registration of all their subjects.

Challenges

“Imiphakatsi must know that they are the ones who are usually faced with challenges anytime someone dies without proper documentation, when it is time for their burial. “The Civic Registration Act of 2023 states that no one is going to be buried without a death certificate. This means that it is an offence for any umphakatsi to allow someone to be buried without a death certificate,” said Dlamini. He pleaded with royal kraals to assist the ministry by signing all the letters required before the registration of important documents, such as IDs. On the issue of the fee paid before the issuance of confirmation letters, the ministry did not say much.

Dlamini stated that the issue of some people having been turned back during the mopping exercise had been reported to Minister of Home Affairs, Princess Lindiwe, who promised to escalate it to the relevant stakeholders. According to Dlamini, the minister herself was also disappointed by these reports. “Let no one be left behind after completing the mopping exercise,” Dlamini said. On the issue of those having been turned back, he was asked to clarify whether the ministry received reports from the officials on the ground. He said: “It would be painful to ascertain that indeed some people turned back without getting the necessary service last Thursday at Ekutsimuleni, after failing to pay  a certain fee to the royal kraal authorities. We will continue to engage the royal kraals regarding the issue. If what is being said is true, we will try and redo the mopping exercise. No one must be left behind,” he said.

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