SA GIVES EMASWATI TRUCK DRIVERS 30-DAY ULTIMATUM

MANZINI – The ongoing violent attacks on foreign truck drivers in Durban, South Africa is set to increase further the unemployment rate in the Kingdom of Eswatini.

This is because some of the scores of emaswati truck drivers, who are employed in the neighbouring country, have already been given a month’s grace period to obtain unattainable truck-driving work permits. The affected truck drivers revealed that the issuing of letters demanding that they acquire work permits, follows a door-to-door inspection exercise carried out by the South African Police Service (SAPS) in partnership with the Department of Labour and Ministry of Home Affairs on trucking businesses where they verify the employment of truck drivers, especially foreigners.

Debate

Majahonkhe Sukati of Mafutseni, one of the truck drivers from Eswatini who are based in Durban, said work permits for truck drivers were not issued in South Africa because there was a debate that truck-driving was not declared as a rare skill. “The Ministry of Home Affairs argues that it only issues work permits for people with certain skills after a verification process was done to ascertain if the skill possessed by the individuals is really rare in South Africa,” he said. It has been reliably gathered through some of the Eswatini truck drivers, who are working in the neighbouring country that as from last week, some trucking companies which employed truck drivers from foreign countries, including the kingdom, started issuing out letters warning them to acquire work permits, failing which they would be fired. “The letters gave us one month grace period,” they emphasised. They said the attacks on foreign truck drivers, which they viewed as xenophobic, had left most of them considering surrendering themselves into the pool of unemployed people in Eswatini. They argued that such was their better option compared to being burnt by the violent South Africans. “It is clear that we are no longer welcome in that country (South Africa) as the attackers accuse us of taking their jobs. On the other hand, the work permits they are demanding are not issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs,” they said.

Attacks

On another note, they said as a result of the violent attacks on foreign truck drivers, a number of employers had ordered them to park the trucks in the companies’ premises for the safety of both the vehicles and the drivers. “It is obvious that sooner or later we will be forced to go back home because the meeting between the ministers of Labour, Home Affairs, Police and Transport Federation has not yielded positive results in as far as a solution to the matter is concerned,” they said. Following the blockade of the N3 road near Mooi River in KwaZulu-Natal Midlands about a fortnight ago, during which seven trucks were set alight; last week, the SAPS, Department of Labour, Ministry of Home Affairs together with the Transport Federation met.

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