Mohale FM The Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Dr. Retselisitsoe Matlanyane, has appealed to temporary workers who were hired by the government to conduct the national Population and Housing Census to remain patient as they await payment of their allowances.
Speaking on the matter, Dr. Matlanyane said several constituencies have already received both their allowances and wages, although payments have been made in different phases. She noted that approximately 77 constituencies have already received their wages, while about 27 constituencies have been paid their allowances.
Dr. Matlanyane further explained that the delays were caused by challenges in the proper compilation and submission of payment lists by officials, which are required before government can process and release the funds. She added that it is not an easy task for government to process payments for such a large number of people at once, particularly when the payment records are not already integrated into the government payroll system but are generated externally through the census exercise.
Meanwhile, the national census campaign was completed in May. The Bureau of Statistics is currently undertaking an evaluation of the exercise and is expected to return to some communities to conduct follow-up enumeration for individuals who may have been missed during the initial census count.
Reports indicate that many temporary census workers remain concerned over unpaid allowances, with some still awaiting payment more than a month after the completion of the census operation.
