SNAT’S LOT INVITED COPS FOR FIGHT - TSC

MBABANE- SNAT Secretary General (SG) Lot Vilakati is accused of having invited the police to a fist or baton fight at the SNAT Centre in Manzini.

These allegations were made by the Executive Secretary of the Teaching Service Commission (TSC), Nhlanhla Dlamini, in the matter where government is seeking an order barring the President of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), Mbongwa Dlamini, from entering the courtroom where his matter will be heard.

Arguments

The applicant (government) also wants the court to debar President of the proscribed Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO) Sakhile ‘Aw’viva’ Nxumalo and the SNAT SG, Vilakati, from coming into the court to listen to the arguments of Mbongwa’s matter. According to the applicant, Nxumalo and Vilakati were allegedly interfering with the exercise of the judicial power exercised by judges, with threats of naming and shaming them so long as they handled the matter of the SNAT president. The application is being opposed by the respondent, who contended that the Industrial Court had no jurisdiction to hear it.  

In his replying affidavit, the TSC executive secretary submitted that; “Lot Vilakati did the unthinkable on September 28, 2023 outside the court by touting the police to a fist fight at the SNAT Centre. I do not know why Lot and Mbongwa think legal issues will be sorted with terrorism acts, violence, belittling of court officials and threats.” According to the TSC executive secretary, the police had now joined those to be attacked by Vilakati and those under him.  He told the court that this assertion was highly contemptuous. According to Nhlanhla, the respondents were bragging that they knew the judgment of the main matter involving Mbongwa. He averred that the respondents, acting in common purpose to threaten the judges and the applicants, had the right to take the matter at hand by alerting the judge and members of the bench. He said it was telling that the respondents were not distancing themselves from the horrific utterances towards the members of the Judiciary and terrorism acts.

“Lot is very dangerous and we await results from the Examinations Council in order to gauge the extent of the viruses that the computers were infected. We will also see the numbers of those who failed. He  alleged that Vilakati even went to the extent of advising teachers to dodge classes by  getting fake sick notes or take leave at once so that the external exams would be disrupted.

Strength

“This was a show of strength to the court on how powerful they are and how they will protect Mbongwa. The future of the thousands and thousands of learners is of no moment to them,” he argued. He went on to submit that the respondents were in the process of destroying their reputations and it was the applicants’ prayer that the members of SNAT and learners see the type of people Vilakati and Mbongwa were.  Nhlanhla said the duo of Mbongwa and Vilakati had long deviated from the manadate of the teachers and were dealing with who and how the country should be ran, even trying to influence the members of the TSC to either resign en masse or decline their appointment, so that the appointing authority could be embarrassed, when he had done nothing wrong.

“To deny that Vilakati invited political parties in the briefing is reminiscent of someone who cannot be trusted. Clearly the respondents are only concerned about not attending work and that nothing will be done to them,” submitted the deponent. He brought it to the attention of the court that all those supporting Mbongwa were at work during the 109 days he was absent from work.

Defied

According to Nhlanhla, the members of the public sector unions tried their level best to force Mbongwa to attend to work, but he defied them.   He told the court that Mbongwa recently chose to go to Botswana during his disciplinary hearing, without any authority from the TSC. “I cannot take it out of the equation that the blind loyalty by Lot, who is always at work, is a campaigning strategy to be the next president of SNAT. “The way the two disown members of the political parties and other union stakeholders when cornered was an issue,” Nhlanhla alleged. He further alleged that the video of September 18, 2023, clearly showed Vilakati ushering members of the political parties to speak. The matter is still pending in court and appearing for the applicants is Assistant Attorney General Mbuso Simelane, while for the respondent is Lucky Howe.

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