Times Of Swaziland: FAIR RESULTS FOR SCHOOLS AFFECTED BY COLA STRIKE

FAIR RESULTS FOR SCHOOLS AFFECTED BY COLA STRIKE
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Ntombi Mhlongo on 06/01/2020 08:53:00


MBABANE - Not so bad.
Despite the disturbances allegedly caused during the strike by teachers over 
CoLA, the affected schools produced fair results in the Grade VII examinations.
During the arguments of the matter on which government was seeking an order to
stop the strike over the cost-of-living adjustment (CoLA) late last year, head
teachers of about 10 schools deposed to affidavits narrating disturbances or
incidents which occurred in their various schools. In particular, the head
teachers were in support of the interdict to stop the public sector
associations’ (PSAs) strike action.
Some narrated how they allegedly suffered at the hands of the protesters. In
different affidavits which were presented to the court by government, the head
teachers related how they now feared for their lives and those of their
children. A majority of them in their affidavits, submitted that they now feared
for their lives after having received threats and being branded sell-outs.
Strength
On the strength of the affidavits by the head teachers, Minister of Labour and
Social Security Makhosi Vilakati and the police, the court issued an interim
order stopping the PSAs from continuing with the strike action. In their
statements, the head teachers painted a picture of unbearable working conditions
due to the alleged attacks and threats they received at the hands of the
protesters. The interim order stopping the PSAs’ strike action was issued by
Judge Abande Dlamini after government had filed an urgent application where it
argued that the ongoing strike action, which commenced on September 3, 2019 had
gone beyond a labour dispute between government and the unions.
The head teachers were from schools such as Mkhweli Primary, Mkhuzweni Primary,
St. John Bosco Primary, Siphoso Primary and Nyakatfo Primary School to name but
a few.
Worth noting is that one of the schools, the Manzini Infant Practicing Primary
School, excelled and topped them all in the examination by producing 33 Merits,
44 First Class Passes and 10 Second Class passes, with no Third Class passes or
failures. In her affidavit presented in court last year, Head teacher Jabulile
Nkambule submitted that on September 25, 2019 at or near the school at around
7:30am she was reporting for duty when she found that there was a strike and
could not reach the school.
Watch
“I had to watch the striking members of the respondents dance along the road
joining my school. The learners were by the gate watching as well. Suddenly, a
teacher from the school came to call the learners to class. “The striking
workers did not take kindly to that such that one of the strikers, who had an
axe in his hand, gave chase to the teacher. “The police stopped him and he
turned back and joined the group again. The striking workers invited the
learners to join them but they did not. The situation then calmed down,” she
submitted. Elaborating, she submitted that learning began from 8am until 9am and
that.
Invaded
“The striking workers suddenly invaded the school, banging and kicking doors
wide open with some even entering the classrooms demanding the teachers to join
them in the strike.
“They proceeded to bang desks and in the process pushed one teacher out of the
classroom in a rather rough manner. Subsequently, some doors were broken and
keys were taken by the protestor such that to date, the keys have not been
recovered. This was all done in an effort to force the teachers to join the
strike,” she stated.  An analysis of the rest of the schools where head
teachers were against the strike shows that most of them recorded less than 10
failures.