Mbabane: The Eswatini National Fire and Emergency Services has reported that, in relation to the past, the work performance of the officers is far below standard.
According to the service’s Communications Officer, Herbert Shabangu, due to the on-going fiscal position with which the service is faced, the officers’ drive to perform above standard has gone down.
Shabangu was talking to Independent News during an interview this afternoon, where he mentioned a whole lot of problems engulfing the service. “We have noticed that officers have lost the energy and passion to work, but unfortunately, there is little or nothing we can do,” said Shabangu. He said as management they have noticed that the junior officers are grumpy and they only come to work because if they didn’t they would be affected by the ‘No Work, No Pay’ rule, which was enacted by parliament earlier on.
Even the living conditions of the officers, including the management has deteriorated to such levels that have resulted in poor working relations between the juniors and their seniors. Lately, the officers do not look eye to eye with the top management due to government’s admitting that its coffers have run dry. This has also resulted in the lack of essential resources like fuel and car parts, a problem which has resulted in some of the service’s major vehicles getting grounded. The vehicles are stuck at the stations due lack of funds to re-fix or service them, said the communications officer.
Some officers who preferred anonymity stated that they wish there was an alternative where they would find other places where they work and earn a living but there aren’t. They said they have families to feed and they do not have an option but to come to work, or else they would go hungry. “We have installments to pay up every month and what option do we have other than to come to the stations,” shared an officer.
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