MBABANE – Dozens of emaSwati seeking essential government services at the Ministry of Home Affairs headquarters and the Eswatini Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (EPTC) are currently stranded as a widespread network blackout brings operations to a complete standstill.
Long, motionless queues snake outside the service centers in the capital as citizens wait for hours in hopes that systems will be restored. Among the most affected are desperate Form 5 students, who urgently require National Identification (ID) Cards and passports to register and sit for their upcoming external examinations.
Officials at the Ministry of Home Affairs told the que of that no applications or documentation can be processed without connectivity. Staff members advise members of the public to remain patient while technical teams work to rectify the issue and restore the system.
However, for many waiting in the queue, patience is running out.
Gcinile Dlamini a pupil said she has been standing in the que since 9am.
“We are told at school that if we don’t present our original IDs by the end of this week, we won’t be cleared to sit for our external examinations,” she said.
“I received permission from work just to pay for my services and handle urgent transactions at EPTC. I spent my last bus fare to get to Mbabane, only to be told the system is completely down. No one can tell us when it will be back up. It is extremely disappointing and a waste of our time and money,” said Mpendulo Gina.
He asked how could they be patient with their futures dependent on these documents.
“There should be an offline contingency plan for emergencies like this,” he said.
The network remains completely down at both locations, leaving frustrated citizens uncertain whether to stay in line or give up and return home.
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