MBONGWA BACK AT WORK AFTER 6 MONTHS, BUT LEAVES EARLY

MBABANE – Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) President Mbongwa Dlamini is back at work at Moyeni High School, after being away for six months.

Dlamini, a Maths and Science teacher, had not reported for work since the suspension of his salary by government in October last year. He was accompanied by the SNAT National Executive Committee (NEC). In an interview, the SNAT president confirmed that he reported back to work and was teaching on a fulltime basis. He stated that he had a very short day yesterday as he was supposed to attend SNAT business.

Requested

However, the president said he requested other teachers to stand in for him. “It is not wrong to attend to SNAT meetings as they are lawful and, as a leader, I am required to attend,” said Dlamini. He said these meetings fell during the week, unfortunately, and not on weekends. Dlamini stated that as a union leader, he had to participate in the meetings more often. When questioned on how the pupils managed in his absence, he said other teachers came on board to teach his classes.

He said what happened was that during the engagements, he represented the teachers to solve challenges they were faced with. SNAT Secretary General (SG) Lot Vilakati stated that when they arrived at Moyeni, they were warmly received by both teachers and learners at the school, who were happy that Dlamini was back. Vilakati said they appreciated the hospitality, which they were given by the school and the head teacher.

Asked on whether the president would be salaried this month, Vilakati said that was the agreement they had with the Ministry of Education and Training. Reached for comment, Moyeni High School Head teacher Sabelo Manyatsi stated that he could confirm that Dlamini arrived at the school but could not comment any further as he was still following up on something. “I need to consult on the matter before making a statement,” said Manyatsi. Acting Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training, Constance Vilakati, said they recently held a meeting with the SNAT NEC to address the matter.

Salary

Vilakati said the SNAT NEC had promised that the president would be at work when schools opened this term and wanted to find out if he would receive his salary. She said the ministry’s response was that there was no reason to continue suspending Dlamini’s salary if he reported for work.Vilakati said she was not aware that the SNAT NEC accompanied him as the expectation was for every teacher to be at school.

Vilakati said the reason for suspending Dlamini’s salary was that he was not reporting for work and his superiors had no idea of where he was. “As he has resurfaced, his duty was reporting for work and we will continue to monitor the situation so that month-end he receives his salary.” Vilakati said the cases on charges against the SNAT president were ongoing. He was charged, among other things, for absenting himself for 109 days, resulting in his salary being suspended by government.

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