LOBAMBA: Neal Rijikernberg allegedly failed to declare to King Mswati that he was not a registered voter, he accepted an appointment as a Member of Parliament(MP) and Minister of Finance thus violating the Elections Act.
Reached for comments, Mbonisi Bhembe, the Spokesperson of the Elections and Boundaries Commission(EBC) confirmed that the Elections Act suggests that one must be a registered voter first in order to be eligible for appointment by the King,however, he said he was not sure whether the Minister had registered or not.
“You are correct that in terms of the law, one must be a registered voter to be eligible for a political appointment by the King, mane-ke lengingakwati kahle kutsi wabhalisa yini noma cha Minister,” said the EBC Spokesperson.
A questionnaire was sent to Finance Minister, however, he failed to respond to our questions and clarify whether he registered or not in 2018 before being appointed.
On another note, the Finance Minister has since registered for the 2023-2028 elections.
Reached for comments,Sikelela Dlamini, the Secretary General of the MultiStakeholder Forum(MSF) said there mere fact that Neal Rijikernberg was appointed despite the fact that he had not registered for elections was an indication that the current system of governance was a huge joke.
“It is for these reasons we are fighting for a democratic electoral system that would be transparent, free and fair,” said the MSF Secretary General.
Finance Minister Neal Rijikernberg.