Census enumerators strike 

…over unpaid wages and allowances 

Hopolang Mokhopi/Seithati Motsoeneng 

THE national 2026 Population and Housing Census has hit a snag after workers downed tools yesterday over unpaid wages and allowances. 

The disgruntled workers wrote to the Director of Statistics announcing an immediate cessation of work until all outstanding wages and allowances are fully paid. 

The action follows delays in salary disbursements caused by a verification process undertaken by the Bureau of Statistics (BOS). 

In a memo addressed to census staff on Tuesday, BOS Director, ’Malehloa Molato, promised that payments would be made by 29 May 2026. 

“This memo serves to apologise for the delay in payment of allowances and wages. As you are aware, approximately 8 000 assistant supervisors, enumerators and support staff were recruited for the 2026 Population and Housing Census,” Ms Molato wrote. 

“Before payments of allowances and wages could be processed, the Human Resource Office had to conduct a thorough verification process to ensure that only legitimate and eligible personnel are engaged. 

“The exercise was necessary to uphold transparency, accountability and compliance with the Public Service Act, as some employees currently working in other government ministries and programmes applied and were included in the recruitment process, for example the Youth Apprentice Programme (Lihalahala). 

“The Bureau of Statistics understands the inconvenience caused by the delay. Please be assured that efforts are being made to finalise payments of allowances and wages, and the first batch is estimated to receive payments before 29 May 2026.” 

However, the enumerators were not mollified by this memo. They expressed dissatisfaction with the prolonged delay, saying it had severely affected their livelihoods. 

In a response letter delivered yesterday, they informed Ms Molato that they would not resume duties until all payments had been made. 

“We understand that a verification process was necessary to ensure compliance with the Public Service Act. However, as temporary field staff who have already worked and incurred personal costs for transport, food and communication, we find the continued delay unacceptable,” the letter reads. 

“We, the undersigned enumerators, hereby notify the Bureau of Statistics that we will not resume or continue with any census duties until all outstanding payments are made in full. This includes both wages and allowances, not allowances only. 

“Payment must be made to all legitimate and verified personnel, as per your own verification process. Work will only resume once payment reflects in our accounts and confirmation is communicated to all field staff. 

“We have families to support and obligations to meet. We have waited in good faith, but we cannot continue working without pay. This position is collective and applies to all field staff across the districts. 

“We trust that BOS will expedite the payment process so that the census can proceed without further disruption.” 

One enumerator who spoke to the Lesotho Times on condition of anonymity said he had stopped reporting for duty after failing to receive his salary for the month. 

He said although some enumerators had completed their assigned divisions, he had been unable to finish his work due to operational challenges, including lack of equipment support such as power banks and data connectivity. 

He said he remained adamant that he would not return to work until he had been paid. 

Meanwhile, other enumerators said they downed tools in protest over what they described as the authorities’ failure to address their grievances. 

In a letter handed to their constituency supervisor for onward delivery to relevant offices, they also complained about malfunctioning tablets and the lack of data-enabled SIM cards, saying the problems had made digital enumeration impossible. 

“The agreed workload was a maximum of 150 households, but allocations exceeded this limit. This risks compromising timelines, data quality and enumerator well-being. We request redistribution or timeline adjustments to align with fair working conditions,” part of the letter reads. 

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