NO PUBLIC TRANSPORT TODAY- WORKERS’ UNIONS

MANZINI – Public transport shall start servicing all routes tomorrow (Thursday), says workers in the industry.

The public transport workers, who did not report for work yesterday, said the unavailability of public service vehicles shall continue even today as the situation was not conducive for them to work. The employees, through their unions, said today would be dedicated to searching for their injured members and colleagues, who were allegedly abducted by security personnel in various incidents yesterday. Secretary General of the Swaziland Transport Communication and Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU) Sticks Nkambule addressed the workers yesterday and applauded them for partaking in the protest meant to give support to the incarcerated Members of Parliament (MPs) in Mthandeni Dube and Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza.

Injured

He said that some of their members were injured yesterday and some were allegedly abducted. Nkambule said they were happy that the Deputy Chairperson of the Manzini Branch, Bhekani Dlamini was located and taken to hospital. “Tomorrow (today) the engines (of public transport vehicles) shall not be running as we’ll be searching and locating our members who have gone missing.” Nkambule said they would be giving medical attention to those who were injured yesterday. He said they would return to work tomorrow (Thursday) after they had located their members. Also, Eswatini Kombi and Buses Allied Workers Union (EKABAWU) President Mcolisi Fakudze echoed Nkambule’s sentiments. He said they would return to work when the situation was conducive for them to work.

He said this was because a high number of their members were allegedly assaulted by security personnel while others were shot. He said they could not pretend as if everything was fine while their members were supposedly abducted, tortured and shot by security personnel. “We’ve no other alternative other than to go and look for our members as five of them were taken at Mpaka and we still can’t make contact with them as their mobile phones are off,” he claimed.

Fakudze said they could not return to work while their members were still hurting as some were assaulted with sjamboks and shot for simply seeking to engage in a constitutional right – freedom of assembly. National General Secretary of the Swaziland Local Transport Association (SLTA) Ambrose Dlamini, when sought for comment, following the public transport workers’ decision asked the following questions; “Where will they get their salaries from? If this business collapses, where will they be employed? What are they going to eat as they get three meals at work? Where else are things happening like this?”

Ambrose said there was no communication to the effect that public transport would not be operating today. He said they were expecting their vehicles to be servicing their clients as usual because today was a normal working day just like yesterday. “The way they decide when to work and when to engage in other things is starting to be a threat to their employment as there will be no money to pay them and or the vehicles which we buy through loans,” he said. He said the developments in the sector were unbecoming and were also unfair to the employers as these things were not reported to them but they got to know about such decisions through the media.

Ambrose insisted that they were not aware that their employees would not be working today. He said seemingly, they were taking their own decisions.
He said they should have reported to the associations about the abductions and shootings so that they could follow it up with the security personnel. This, he said, was the same thing they had emphasised on last Thursday when the public transport workers boycotted work and demanded the release of their colleagues. “It is unfortunate that they don’t even feel the pinch when we implement the no-work, no-pay rule, as the money is collected by them from our clients. They tell us how much we have made and if we deduct it for the days they were absent, they also deduct it from the daily collections,” the SLTA chairman said.

Operating

Also, National Road Transport Council (NRTC) Chairperson Magesi Dlamini said he had communicated with the relevant transport operators and they promised that vehicles would be operating on the roads today, depending on the situation on the ground.  The chairperson mentioned that they were aware of the threats but were also mindful of the public who may be stranded and would need to be transported to their various destinations, inclusive of health facilities. “There is a possibility that public transport will end up not operating because of the situation on the ground and to also protect their vehicles from being damaged,” Magesi said.

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