BY PHUMELELE GAMEDZE
MBABANE— Lubombo is preparing for a household data collection exercise aimed at helping Government better identify vulnerable families and understand their needs, with MPs backing the National Dynamic Social Registry, Imbeleko.
Deputy Prime Minister Senator Thulisile Dladla announced the preparations during a meeting with Members of Parliament from the Lubombo Region at Nsulutane Hlane Hotel on Wednesday, 16 September 2026.
The exercise will involve 216 data collectors and 22 supervisors recruited from the region’s 11 Tinkhundla.
Dladla said the deliberate recruitment of people from Lubombo was intended to give local residents ownership of the exercise and allow them to contribute to the success of the national programme.
The supervisors and data collectors are scheduled to undergo training from 28 September to 6 October 2026, with data collection expected to begin on 12 October and end on 27 November 2026.
The Imbeleko system is intended to improve the identification of extremely vulnerable households and individuals and strengthen the targeting of social protection programmes.
The system is also intended to reduce duplication, inclusion and exclusion errors while improving the efficiency of Government programmes.
Dladla said the information collected would help Government develop data driven programmes addressing challenges including inadequate shelter, lack of access to clean drinking water, access to education, challenges affecting persons with disabilities and unemployment.
The DPM said the registry would help Government move away from intuition, guesswork and reliance on past experiences when determining where assistance is required.
She also appealed to MPs to encourage communities to participate in the interviews and provide the information requested by data collectors.
Lugongolweni MP Joseph Souza, Chairperson of the Lubombo MPs, said: “I wish that all Ministries could become part of the National Dynamic Social Registry.”
Souza said such participation would provide a clear picture of how Government could provide services to the people.
Minister of Labour and Social Security and Matsanjeni North MP Phila Buthelezi also commended the DPMO for undertaking the exercise.
Buthelezi said: “The initiative would help rescue people from suffering,” describing the situation in some constituencies as dire.
The Lubombo MPs welcomed the Imbeleko initiative after the DPMO explained the project and its intended purpose to them.
Also present was Ndzingeni MP Gcina Magagula, who attended in his capacity as Chairperson of the House of Assembly Deputy Prime Minister’s Office Portfolio Committee.
The Lubombo exercise follows a full household enumeration conducted in Shiselweni between June and July 2025 and represents the next stage in the national rollout of the social registry.
With training scheduled to begin on 28 September, the focus now shifts to preparing the teams that will visit households across Lubombo from October to November.
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(Courtesy Pic)
