By Wezzie Gausi:
Community voter civic education assistants (CCVAs) employed by the Malawi Electoral Commission (Mec) have raised concern over persistent salary delays, saying the development is affecting their work.
Speaking to The Daily Times on condition of anonymity, some of CCVAs disclosed that since their deployment to workstations in October 2024, their salaries have been consistently delayed, often by one or two weeks, into the next month.
The workers say the only exception was in December last year, when payment was made on the 31st.
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They further claimed that their March salaries were yet to be paid, leaving many of them struggling to cover basic expenses, including transport costs which are essential for their duties during the ongoing voter transfer campaign.
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“The official response we get is that salaries will be processed “whether Tuesday, Wednesday, over the weekend or next week” but we rely on this money for transport and, without it, we suffer,” one affected worker said.
Another worker corroborated the issue, saying they were struggling to pay for accommodation.
The worker asked Mec officials to be prioritising their welfare.
On his part, Mec spokesperson Sangwani Mwafulirwa acknowledged the delays, explaining that CCVAs were temporary staff, such that their payments were processed only after the last working day of the month.
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“That is why they receive their salaries a week into the following month,” Mwafulirwa said.
However, human rights activists have condemned the situation, arguing that salary delays could negatively impact the election process.
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation Executive Director Michael Kaiyatsa said Mec had to rectify problems and ensure that the workers were motivated.
“These people often work far from their homes. If they do not get timely payment, it affects their ability to carry out their duties effectively,” he said.
