Times Of Swaziland: TEACHER RUNS TO COURT,  DISPUTES DATE OF BIRTH

TEACHER RUNS TO COURT,  DISPUTES DATE OF BIRTH
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BY MBONGISENI NDZIMANDZE  on 13/10/2017 00:32:00


MBABANE – A teacher of Mponono Primary School is disputing her date of birth
as captured in government’s database.
Thuli Mthethwa has since taken the Ministry of Public Service and the Teaching
Service Commission  (TSC) to court where she is seeking an order compelling them
to amend the date of birth in her personal employment file.
She contended that her date of birth was not June 13, 1972 as it reflected on
the TSC’s database.
Mthethwa claimed that her correct date of birth was March 23, 1974.
“I never submitted a certificate of birth which reflects that I was born on
June 13, 1972 and none exist,” she stated.
In her application, she stated that the Ministry of Public Service was refusing
to correct an error of recording her date of birth wrongly on her file, official
documents and government database.
She told the court that she was employed by the commission as a teacher on
permanent basis and was stationed at Mponono Primary School. Mthethwa alleged
that she joined the teaching service during the year 1996 and was employed by
the TSC sometime in February 1997.
She mentioned that before this date she had been engaged as a temporary teacher
at Dwalile Central Primary School.
According to the applicant (Mthethwa), when she was employed, she submitted an
authentic copy of her birth certificate.
The applicant told the court that in June 2015, the Ministry of Public Service
conducted a skills audit exercise which entailed the assessment of all
employees. She alleged that this was done with a view of ascertaining the
propriety and authenticity of their (civil servants) respective skills, which
they professed to possess.