EZULWINI – Marriage officers are failing to execute their duties expertly, eventually contributing to the high divorce rate in Eswatini.
In its 2025/2026 performance report, the Ministry of Home Affairs revealed that there were 592 people who got divorced between April and December last year.
In the first quarter, the ministry stated that 209 people registered for divorce, while 196 divorced in the second quarter.
The ministry added that 46 couples divorced in October alone last year, while 48 divorced in November.
There were 98 couples who divorced in December, bringing the total number of marriages that were ended in the third quarter to 192.
The Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday convened a meeting with the marriage officers from around the country at the Mlalatini Development Centre where they were reminded about several shortcomings in their line of duty.
The meeting, as explained by Home Affairs Officials, was meant to pick the brains of marriage officers on what can be done to improve their work.
Communications Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs Mlandvo Dlamini said Parliament and the leaders of the country were also worried about the high divorce rates, which is why the ministry was trying to find answers.
Some of the mistakes attributed to the marriage officers is the delays in submitting forms to the Ministry of Home Affairs after solemnising the marriages. These forms help in the formation of a marriage certificate and in updating the couple as married in government books.
The marriage officers were also said to be filling forms in handwriting that is difficult to decipher.
Senior Officer at the ministry Sidumo Stanley Malindzisa explained that some officers have seemingly not been educated on the work of being a marriage officer, which then limits their capacity to deliver good service. He asked for their opinions on the age at which a marriage officer can be stopped from continuing to do their duties.
*…
Some pastors sceptical, see tax loading
EZULWINI – Marriage officers, most of whom are church leaders are sceptical of government’s move to empower them, seeing this as a veiled ploy to tax them.
Over 500 marriage officers and those aspiring to enter the trade responded to an invitation by the Ministry of Home Affairs to convene at Mlalatini Development Centre for a one-day seminar on how they should conduct themselves to reduce the high rate of divorce cases. The meeting was hard-going with some attendees failing to grasp the essence of the meeting that lasted only an hour and 30 minutes. After it had been adjourned, they met in small circles outside the hall and registered discontentment with a number of things such as the venue, lack of meals and unclear agenda. In an interview, they said they were connecting dots to assume that government wanted to test how many marriage counsellors are there in the country, with the view to wage the taxation axe on them. “When trying to make us understand the rationale for the meeting, the officials said marriage officers fail to submit information on time to government after officiating a marriage. This is supposed to be done within seven days, but most of us miss that deadline. The government officer said when trying to understand the reason for this, he is told that we stall the process deliberately because we have not been paid by the newly-weds. This then prompts government to assume we are making a lot of money that is not being taxed by officiating in marriages,” said one marriage officer. The officers said they charge varying amounts, averaging E2 000.
However, Senior Officer in the Ministry of Home Affairs Stanley Malindzisa said there had been a number of concerns arising from the work of marriage officers.
He said one of the concerns was on the qualifications for such an officer and government wanted the marriage officers to make their own rules regarding this issue.
He said some of the particulars of marriage that are submitted to his office are badly written, indicating that the marriage officer may have not been well educated on how to fill the forms.
“Some of you submit the forms late, a long time after the marriage was officiated, which is against the regulations that stipulate seven days,” he said.
He also charged the officers to draft regulations on how marriage officers can qualify for the job, apart from following what is stipulated in law. “We want you to state if a marriage officer ceases to be one at some point in time when they have come of age or such a profession does not come to an end until death. During the meeting, some marriage officers said they do not charge for their services. “As long as the couple can pay for my travel expenses, I am satisfied. I don’t charge for my services,” one officer said.
*Full article available on Pressreader*
Leave a comment