WHY ARE INVESTORS ALLOWED TO GET RICH AT OUR EXPENSE?

Sir,

We cannot be happy through out our lives, which is why some are crying: ‘What you plant now, you will harvest later in your life.’ Mr Editor, please allow me to mention this to the entire Swazi nation: Investors are allowed to do whatever they like to the Swazi taxpayers, yet they are the ones who are working hard in the garment industry.

They are low-paid yet the turnover is too much; this has destroyed our country. Some people see this in our government but they do not talk about it in Parliament. We are Swazi taxpayers - when they were campaigning they used the workers as their bridge to cross over to Parliament. Once they are there, though, they forget about us. Some of the garments are not sold overseas but they (the investors) cannot show the workers that they did not pay too much for transport since it is sold locally.

They are cheating the Swazi citizens. As we started this New Year, I hoped the new government would sit down and address this issue. How can one survive on E800 per month when he or she cannot even buy textbooks for their children? We are underpaid yet we also contribute to the economy of this country as we are taxpayers. How can we buy textbooks for our children when it costs, on average of at least E4 000 just for books?

There is one textbook for high school which costs about E364.95. I am disappointed about this but there is nothing one can do. I hope our government will address these issues so that the taxpayers have confidence in this government. We are Swazi taxpayers.  We are really struggling.

I wish our government would do something about this issue of expensive books. What is more painful is that it is the Swazi people who tell the investors they must pay us peanuts. What crime are we committing when we ask for what we deserve?

I call on the Minister of Labour to put an end to underpaying Swazi working citizens. Mr Editor, please allow me to close with these words, once spoken by Mfanimpela Dlamini: ‘ When you cry, do not do it like those who have lost hope’.

Edwin MB Dlamini,
Sandlane

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