MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) have raised concern over the country’s growing unemployment crisis.
They revealed that they now receive desperate calls from young people seeking assistance to secure jobs in the ongoing Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) recruitment exercise.
This was during the ministry of public service second quarter performance report debate in the House of Assembly yesterday.
Sigwe MP David ‘Cruiser’ Ngcamphalala said unemployment had become a serious concern in every constituency, with young people constantly approaching MPs for help to find employment.
Ngcamphalala said the situation was worrying, especially considering that some government ministries still had hundreds of vacant positions that had not been filled.
He cited the ministry of public works, which reportedly has about 422 vacant posts, questioning why government had not filled these positions while thousands of Emaswati remained unemployed.
“When are we going to address the issue of ministries having such a high number of unfilled positions while the country is facing unemployment?,” he questioned.
The MP said MPs were struggling to respond to the growing number of young people who called them, asking for assistance to secure jobs in the ongoing police recruitment exercise.
He described the situation as unhealthy for the country, adding that thousands of young people had graduated from different institutions but remained without employment.
He called on government to develop clear plans to address unemployment and ensure that vacant positions in ministries were filled.
Lubombo Regional MP Futhi Ngcamphalala also raised concern over the overwhelming number of locals seeking employment through the police recruitment exercise.
She said the number of applicants was alarming, noting that some aspirants started arriving as early as 3am to submit their applications.
“Thousands of people were turning up daily, including applicants holding degrees and PhDs, showing how serious the shortage of employment opportunities had become,” she said.
She questioned how many positions were actually available for recruitment, saying citizens deserved to know the number of people government intended to employ.
Her concerns come as various REPS regional headquarters experienced an overwhelming turnout over the past two days, with thousands of hopeful applicants seeking an opportunity to join the police service. Today marks the final day for submitting applications.
Legislators shocked by queues
THE long queues of young people at police headquarters seeking employment in the ongoing recruitment exercise has shocked MPs.
Ludzeludze MP Nomkhosi Masuku said she was shocked by the large number of young people seeking employment when she passed through Manzini.
“This is very worrying. I was passing through Manzini and saw these queues. I know this situation is not only in Manzini but at all the headquarters,” she said.
Manzini Regional MP Thandeka Mavuso also raised concern, saying the number of young job seekers was overwhelming.
Kumethula MP Jabulani Simelane also expressed concern over the long queues, suggesting that the exercise should have been conducted at tinkhundla level through the various station commanders to avoid overcrowding at police headquarters.
“This would have helped avoid the long queues and made it easier for young people to submit their applications,” he said.
Unemployed teachers applying for cop jobs – MP
HHOHHO Regional MP Tanele Magagula says some qualified teachers are applying for police jobs because they have spent many years without finding employment.
Magagula said these graduates have been left with limited choices as they struggle to find jobs in the profession they trained for.
“The situation shows the growing challenge of unemployment among graduates in the country,” she said.
She noted that the teachers are now willing to join the police service because they need employment and have to find ways to support themselves.
“This highlights the unemployment reality in the country and difficulties faced by many graduates who continue to wait for job opportunities despite completing their studies,” she added.
