WARNING SHOTS, TEAR GAS FIRED AT PROTESTING TEXTILE WORKERS

NHLANGANO – Warning shots and tear gas were fired yesterday to disperse protesting textile workers.

All three textile firms in Nhlangano, namely Zheng Yong, Juris Manufacturing and FTM Garments were closed for the day after some workers engaged in a protest action which left some property vandalised mainly at FTM Garments. FTM Garments has two firms in Nhlangano, one next to Zheng Yong and another next to Juris Manufacturing. In a quest to deliver a petition regarding their welfare, the workers were divided into two groups; some gathered at Zheng Yong while others assembled at Juris Manufacturing. They had planned to then meet at Juris Manufacturing. Those at Zheng Yong wanted to march from there to join their colleagues at Juris, where the petition would be received by officials from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Protest

According to some of the workers who were at Zheng Yong from 7am, which was the agreed time to meet, some FTM Garments workers arrived earlier and got inside the work premises with the intention to work despite the call for the protest. The sources narrated that the workers heard about those who were inside the premises and demanded that all those inside come out to join them in the protest. Their plea was not heard hence they ended up pushing the gate until it fell in a bid to force their way into the factory premises to coerce those inside to join them. While the others were pushing the gate, some smashed windows of the guard house of the same firm (FTM Garments).  

Police arrived at that moment and dispersed the workers. Some of the workers heeded to the police order to go back home but others were reluctant such that they had to be forced to leave the scene. Police then fired an unconfirmed number of warning shots and tear gas which saw the workers running in all directions. Despite being dispersed, some of the workers were reluctant to leave but regrouped in several spots. This continued along the road leading to the town centre such that another tear gas was fired at the T-Junction near Montigny Investments.

Eventually, the workers failed to march to town to meet their colleagues who had gathered at Juris Manufacturing. At around 8am, a large number of the textile workers were spotted walking back to town to get public transport that would take them to their place of abode while others were seen walking back to their flats located in the surrounding areas. At the meeting point which was at Juris Manufacturing other workers gathered there with their leadership from the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland (ATUSWA). In their presence was ATUSWA Secretary General (SG) Wonder Mkhonza.

It was gathered that some of the workers who were dispersed at Zheng Yong ended up arriving at Juris where the petition was eventually delivered to the officials from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. At Juris, the leadership of ATUSWA had organised a PA system and a gazebo to accommodate their meeting with the officials from the ministry. The workers were not deterred by the heavy rain as they continued with their mission until the end.  

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