PUBLIC TRANSPORT OWNERS’ URGENT MEET OVER GOVT PLAN B

MBABANE –  Public transport operators have called an urgent meeting over government’s Plan B.

The operators called the urgent meeting following a statement made by Prime Minister (PM) Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, regarding government’s action plan on the interruptions that are often caused by the unavailability of public transport in the country. Last Thursday, the PM, during a press briefing on the end of year address, stated that if public transport operators and workers continued parking their vehicles and frustrating operations in the country, government was ready to deploy permanent public transport vehicles on the country’s roads to avoid the interruptions. He also hinted on roping in other transport sectors like the railway to provide public transport.

Following the PM’s statement, some public transport operators said they were of the view that government was on a crusade to steal their businesses from them. Some of the owners said government should not dare deploy permanent buses on the road because that would be unfair to them. The owners stated that they were not the ones who decided to park vehicles, but certain individuals who were not even vehicle owners did so. “This move is unfair on us because we are not the ones behind these shutdowns,” said a public transport owner. Another owner stated that the organisations which announced the shutdowns did not have a recognition agreement with them, hence it was unfair for government to take a decision based on these people’s actions.

The owners said the public transport sector was 100 per cent owned by emaSwati and deploying State-owned vehicles might mean the business was taken away from them. They said government should stop threatening them but instead look at finding solutions or rather deal with the individuals who constantly announced the shutdowns.Chairperson of Swaziland Local Transport Association (SLTA) Ambrose Dlamini confirmed that today, public transport operators would have a meeting where they would address the recent developments that were communicated by the premier. “We need to discuss the issue,” he said. He said they were surprised to learn that government was permanently looking into having buses on the roads, while they thought they were on the same page. “Government should first deal with the known culprits before punishing the owners,” Ambrose said.

During the meeting, the chairperson said they would be discussing in-depth government’s decision and were hopeful that they would come up with a better solution. Worth noting is following the shutdown on December 13 and 14, 2022, government deployed buses in the country’s main roads, which were transporting people free of charge.  This was part of government’s plan B after public transport workers parked their vehicles for two days. This was after the workers defied a court order that compelled them to be on the road. The court order was directed to Eswatini Kombis and Buses Allied Workers Union (EKABAWU), Swaziland Transportation Communication Allied Workers Union (SWATCAWU) and Swaziland Commercial Amadoda Road Transportation Association (SCARTA). The shutdown was meant to show solidarity with the incarcerated Members of Parliament (MPs) in Mduduzi ‘Bacede’ Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube. The Deputy Prime Minister, in his capacity as the Acting PM at the time, filed a contempt of court charge against these associations following that they defied the court order.

... use permits accordingly or else - govt
MBABANE – Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo says public transport owners should ensure that their permits are utilised accordingly, otherwise they will face the music.
Nxumalo disputed that public transport owners were in the dark regarding government’s permanent Plan B. He stated that the PM met with public transport owners before undertaking his international travel. Nxumalo added that the then Acting Prime Minister, Themba Masuku, continued with the meetings. The government spokesperson said a lot of common ground and understanding was reached in those meetings.

“I can safely say that government is on the same page with owners in respect of what needs to be done going forward in order to avoid non-availability of public transport,” he said. Nxumalo added that government could not be expected to fold its arms while unknown people were doing as they pleased. He said it could not be changed that based on past experiences, government was ready to respond should the need arise. “The onus is on public transport owners to seize the initiative and ensure that permits which government gave to them are fully utilised accordingly and if not the PM promised that Plan B will kick in,” he said.

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