Times Of Swaziland: GOVT WILL NOT FILL 550 COP POSTS – PM

GOVT WILL NOT FILL 550 COP POSTS – PM
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 BY SIBONGILE SUKATI on 14/03/2019 01:37:00


MBABANE – Government will not be filling the 550 existing posts within the
police service.
This was said by the Prime Minister (PM) Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, in written
responses tabled in the House of Assembly yesterday.
Last week, Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament (MP) Marwick Khumalo had
suggested that there should be filling of the 550 available vacant posts, which
arose through attrition factors, regardless of the prevailing economic
situation.
He posed this question despite the fact that government issued a circular
freezing all hiring within government without the approval of Cabinet.
The PM reiterated that the issue of recruitment in government had been
temporarily suspended on account of budgetary constraints.
He said be that as it may, government would monitor the staffing levels in the
police service to ensure that service delivery was not compromised.
Meanwhile, Hosea MP Mduduzi Mabuza asked the PM whether the recruitment of
police officers was fair and transparent as they had witnessed situations where
police relatives or children had the advantage of being recruited over other
applicants.
The PM said the recruitment was conducted in a fair and transparent manner and
every qualifying liSwati citizen was eligible to apply and be enlisted, whether
related to Police Officer or not. “The Honorable House must be aware that this
question has been raised numerous times in this August House in previous
Parliamentary sessions,” said the PM.
He said as per their recommendations, selection was now done in the four
Regional Headquarters and recruitment was such that it was from all regions and
Tinkhundla.
“Suffice to mention that, the organisation is in a process of reviewing its
Recruitment Policy to align it with the newly-promulgated Police Act as well as
making sure that it is relevant to the aspirations of the citizens,” said
Dlamini.
Meanwhile, the MPs asked why some officers in the police service, who were due
for retirement, were given extended contracts.