MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) have called on the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) to work with the ministry of information, communication and technology (ICT) to introduce an online police recruitment system and end the use of paper applications.
The legislators said the recent police recruitment exercise, which saw thousands of young people queuing for days to submit their applications, showed the need for government to embrace digital transformation.
This was during the ministry of ICT second quarter performance report debate in Parliament yesterday. Zombodze Emuva MP Ntando Mkhonta called on the police to seek advice from the ministry of ICT on modern ways of receiving job applications.
He said the country had the Royal Science and Technology Park (RSTP), which could assist government in developing an online application system to make the recruitment process easier and more accessible. The MP said there was no reason for young people to continue spending long hours in queues when technology could provide a better way of submitting applications.
“The recruitment exercise has exposed the need for government institutions to move away from traditional paper-based systems,” he said.
Lubombo Regional MP Futhi Ngcamphalala said the recruitment process had shocked the country, particularly because some young people had to sleep in queues for several days to submit their applications. She questioned why the process was not conducted digitally at a time when the country was embracing technology.
“The issue of police job applications shocked the country. For the past three days, there were young people who slept in queues. Why was it not done digitally if we say we are in the digital space?
“Why should we suffer with this old-school way of using paper? Every government office is full of papers. When are we going to make digital transformation a reality?” she asked.
Ngcamphalala said government should take advantage of available technology to make public services easier for citizens.
She said the long queues were unnecessary and could have been avoided if applicants were given an online platform where they could submit their documents without physically travelling to police regional headquarters.
Mhlume MP Sifiso Magagula also expressed disappointment over the situation witnessed across the four regions of the country, where young people were seen queuing to submit their applications. Magagula said the experience had also affected his family, as his child had to spend more than a day in the queue while trying to submit an application.
“She had to queue until the following day, whereas this thing should have been done like the scholarships application process.
“Now you do not need to go to the ministry of labour to apply for a scholarship.
‘‘It is done digitally. You simply use the portal and apply.
Why did it not happen with the police job applications?
‘‘I was so unhappy about this. I went to Manzini and the queues were very long. It was very disappointing,” he said.
The legislators said the country needed to adopt systems that would reduce unnecessary travelling, waiting time and the costs associated with accessing government services. They further noted that the situation highlighted the serious unemployment challenges facing the country, as thousands of young people were competing for the available police positions.
Thousands of citizens flocked to police regional headquarters from Monday to submit applications after the Royal Eswatini Police Service announced the opening of its recruitment process for aspiring police.
The recruitment process attracted large numbers of hopefuls who spent hours waiting to hand in their applications.
Some applicants reportedly failed to submit their documents on the first day and had to remain in the queues or return the following morning to continue with the process. The exercise closed yesterday, after three days of long queues at police regional headquarters. The MPs said the experience should serve as a lesson for government institutions to modernise their operations and ensure that technology is used to improve service delivery.
They said the ministry of ICT and the RSTP could help develop a digital recruitment platform that would allow future applicants to submit their applications online without having to endure similar experiences.
