Voter registration clerks work on empty stomachs
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday October 26, 2018 12:53
Some clerks around the country, employed by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to assist would-be voters get their names on the voters’ rolls, are yet to get paid for work done since being hired in September.
In August, the IEC announced that it would conduct registration from September 3 to November 11, 2018 for those eligible to vote in the 2019 general election.
The Commission had earlier in May advertised posts for registration clerks.
According to some of the clerks who spoke to this publication from various centres around the country, they had as of last week not been paid their wages despite being promised to be remunerated each month end.
“The situation got really bad that some of the officers ended up losing their jobs because they deserted their work stations to seek food and they got fired.
“They were said to have left registration materials in a compromising position,” a source in Moshupa revealed.
Other areas where grievances reached Mmegi were Francistown and Lobatse where officers decried that some were paid while others were not.
They bemoaned that the situation left them de-motivated when doing their job.
IEC spokesperson, Osupile Maroba said it was true that some of the registration clerks have not received their payments and that they are being paid albeit late and payments are expected to take a week.
“Some of them delayed with the necessary information that could have facilitated their creation for Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payment method, hence the change of the paying method.
“Due to the numbers involved, payment will be stretched over time until everyone receives payment,” he said.
Maroba said voter registration has not been affected, and the IEC in collaboration with Revenue Offices across the country, is working around the clock to facilitate payment of the clerks.
He also confirmed, though as a side issue, that they have parted ways with some registration clerks over their conduct.
“Yes though few, and these were the officers who acted in a manner that compromised the integrity of the process, contravened the law and the conditions of their employment,” he said.
In terms of voters coming forth, Maroba said the situation was promising.
He said Batswana continued to register and the number was gradually on an upswing.
“We have so far registered 396,927 voters as of October 10, 2018. It is our hope that with continued publicity, the numbers will improve. We would like to encourage Batswana to register in large numbers in the remaining period,” he said.