MBABANE:Luke Lushaba, the Chief Fire Officer(CFO) has written a minute informing all fire officers that, they will now have personal service numbers.
This comes a few days after this Swaziland News exclusively reported that, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development “is being gradually transformed into a security force.
“This minute serves to inform all fire officers on the following: In terms of the The Fire Rescue Act of 2022, Section 14(3), the undersigned hereby assign personal service numbers to all fire officers who are employed by the Government.The purpose of this initiative is for easy differentiation of names and surnames of the officers who sometimes share the same name and surname. This service personal numbers will be permanently used while employed by the Fire Department”, reads the minute signed by the Chief Fire Officer on Tuesday.
Lushaba declined to comment about the latest developments.
Efforts to seek a comment from Bawinile Ndlovu, the President of the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union(NAPSAWU) proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report as cellphone rang unanswered.
On another note, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services is currently facing a leadership crisis under Luke Lushaba, the Chief Fire Officer.
Officers of the Department recently marched to Parliament seeking Members of Parliament(MPs) intervention amid shortage of working equipment that resulted to State and private infrastructure worth billions, destroyed by recent uncontrolled wild fire.
But apart from that, the workers “have been demanding the payment of their allowances from Government for sometime now”.
But the transformation of the Fire Department into a security force means, officers might be deprived the right to protest like soldiers, the police and Correctional Services officers.
The minute signed by Chief Fire Officer Luke Lushaba.