By Khulile Thwala
The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Pholile Shakantu has urged the nation to choose wisely and be objective in their voting to avoid cases where delinquents are elected into office.
The minister emphasised that the Tinkhundla System of Governance is one of the best systems in the world, however, it was the electorate who were responsible for ensuring that their voting was honest and wise.
“We can man roadblocks nationwide attempting to prevent fraudulent voters and activities from disrupting the election process and this would still not be effective because it all depends on the voter exercising wisdom and refraining from nominating or voting for delinquents,” she said.
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The minister emphasised that emaSwati should be virtuous in these upcoming elections by desisting from voting for people who have ill intentions because one should vote for dignified individuals who will represent the electorate honourably.
She said referencing the issue of vote buying which has become prevalent, not only in Eswatini but globally. The minister added that even if someone might pay you to vote for them, you will be alone in the booth.
“We understand that you might have been paid for the votes but you vote through a secret ballot therefore there is no reason to continue voting for corrupt individuals,” said the minister.
She further said they had included an amendment in the Elections Act to ensure the secrecy of the vote.
“Once you are in the voting booth, no one has the authority to intimidate you to vote for them and your vote remains a secret, even if they bribed you for a vote. You know the kind of person you are voting for, therefore it is your responsibility to vote honestly,” said the minister.
She made the remarks during a Parliamentary sitting on Wednesday where Senators were debating the Voters Registration (Amendment) Bill No.5 of 2023.
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The Senators argued that the piece of legislation had discrepancies that would leave room for corruption during the national elections. They questioned the clause in the Bill which stipulates that a person’s eligibility to vote and be voted for was plausible within six months of residing in an area. In the initial Act, the Voters Registration Act of 2013, eligibility to vote and be voted for is effective after three months of residence in that particular area.
Senators argued that the previous House had erred by adopting the 2013 legislation with this clause. Senator Chief Zabeni lamented that the six-month period was too short for a person to have the right to be nominated and in turn, voted for.
According to the senator, elections were key to the welfare of a nation, and they could not be compromised in any way. His assertions were echoed by Senator Isaac Magagula, who said loopholes needed not to be created in such legislation to avoid opening up room for misconduct and criminality.
He requested further clarity from the minister, arguing that a person who has resided in an area for six months was not well-informed about issues that affect the area, hence they would not represent the people of that area or Inkhundla faultlessly.
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Senator Sigombeni Dlamini said the six-month clause was intolerable and would be detrimental to the future of the nation.
“It is a shame that a person who has only been in an area for six months will now be eligible to be voted for, in fact, the amended clause of three months is an even bigger concern. These people cannot represent a constituency they know nothing about, as they would be simply strangers in that area and outsiders know issues at the surface, not the depth of matters affecting a community they have barely lived in,” said the senator.
He further claimed that a person who wants to be eligible to be a candidate after six months of residency is doing so with ulterior motives.
“We witnessed civil upheaval not so long ago and if we adopt this legislation as it is we will revert to that unfortunate situation because people end up voting for misfits,” he said.
Also debating the Bill was Senator Vuka Moi Moi Masilela, who said the clause needed to be reviewed to state that if a person has resided in an area for six months, he should be eligible to vote but not to run for elections.
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Responding to the Senators’ grievances, minister Shakantu stated the Constitution and laws of the country protect communities from being taken advantage of. She gave an example that a person needs to have at least 10 people backing their nomination and that would be difficult to achieve when the local community does not know them.
She added that, ultimately, the safeguarding and election of credible individuals rest on the shoulders of the voters and their communities. The minister said that when people voted for delinquents, this ended up being a problem in the long run for the same constituents who voted for them, therefore, people need to be careful of who they vote for.
