NO PUBLIC TRANSPORT TODAY – EKABAWU

MANZINI – If an announcement by some public transport workers anything to go by, commuters should not expect any transport today.

The public transport workers said commuters should brace themselves to walk to their various destinations, as they (public transport workers) had vowed not to set foot at the different bus ranks. This was disclosed by the Eswatini Kombi and Buses Workers Allied Workers Union (EKABAWU) in a joint press briefing with the Swaziland National Union of Students (SNUS) at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) Kwaluseni Campus yesterday. Their core demand is improved remuneration for all as inflation is set to render the public transport workers unemployed as commuters cannot afford fares anymore.

grievances

A month ago, they delivered a petition with a litany of grievances. Leading to that, the public transport workers delivered a petition to the Manzini police Regional Headquarters. The petition delivery, as confirmed by Secretary General of the Swaziland Transport Communication and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU), Sticks Nkambule, voiced out their grievances over police brutality. They marched from the Manzini Bus Rank to the Manzini Police Regional Headquarters to deliver the petition. Meanwhile, regarding the imminent protest scheduled for today, EKABAWU National Organiser Muzi Nhleko said there would be no transport in the morning and no operations would allowed in the early hours. He said they wanted people to get better and improved salaries so that they could also earn a living. He added that the minimum wage should at least be E3 500. Nhleko also mentioned that roads were not maintained in the country, while there was no medication in most health facilities in the country. “We want E1 500 per month for the elderly as their grants, and students allowances should be increased,” he demanded.

Death

Meanwhile, Nhleko elaborated that the United Nations (UN) should investigate the death of people during last year’s political unrest.  He further stated that some people were arrested and they should be freed and returned to the kingdom. SNUS Secretary General (SG) Wakhile Lukhele also shared the same sentiments. He said everyone should participate in the demonstration wherever they were. “You cannot expect students to come and write when transport is not available. It would be amiss of the university to allow that,” Lukhele said. He emphasised that both students and public transport workers were in unison on the halting of operations to address their grievances.

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