...while workers call for Winnie's removal

The workers allege that the minister is intent on closing down the Swaziland Post and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC), causing thousands of job losses and leaving Swazi MTN to monopolise the telecommunications industry.

The minister is seen by the workers as having a conflict of interest because she served on the Swazi MTN Board and therefore, should be replaced by a colleague. Over 800 employees from SPTC participated in the march to deliver the petition at the Cabinet offices where it was received by Government Press Secretary Percy Simelane.

There is presently a standoff between the Swaziland Post and Telecommunications Corporation and Swazi MTN concerning violation of a joint venture agreement entered into in 1997, where rules of competition between the two are outlined.

The problems began after SPTC launched a mobile phone and fixed wireless phone services which Swazi MTN said violated the agreement resulting in the matter ending up at the International Court of Arbitration where Swazi MTN won last week.

Due to the outcome, the ICT minister has since announced that SPTC should stop the fixed and mobile phone services; with thousands of subscribers already. This is viewed as something that will prompt collapse of the corporation.

In the petition, the SPTC workers told the PM that they decided to write to him after failed attempts to meet the minister and had also been forced by alleged attempts to close down the corporation.

"We are worried with the current minister of ICT who has a conflict of interest in the ongoing impasse between SPTC and (Swazi) MTN. We petition the Prime Minister to give us another minister who will be able to objectively work towards resolving this impasse without taking sides," reads the petition.

Further, the workers want the PM to suspend "all controversial directives from government aimed at closing down SPTC operations, the SEACOM deal or the NGN network".

The workers also want that: "The Prime Minister considers the plight of all the employees that stand to lose jobs if SPTC closes down as already being instigated by the minister."

Comments

When Winnie was appointed minister ICT I mourned. My reason simply was that there was going to be so much nonsense at SPTC than we have ever known in years. My reason? The minister's interests would be conflicted given her history at MTN that we know is actually a lucrative entity to save in it's board, and as a result, her loyalty would always be there. That her name came up every time there were issues between MTN and SPTC before her appointment as minister, just said to myself SPTC would always be at the wrong end of the stick. Was I wrong? Not be a long shot! Today we read SPTC wrong this, wrong that. I mean, how on earth do we have a minster say SPTC deceived it's clientele when government was overseeing it's operations? Or SPTC is to blame for high tariffs charged by MTN, as if SPTC forced MTN to increase tariffs? For Minister Winnie who had made history in ex-minister Thandi Shongwe's tenor as chairman for both SPTC & MTN (I believe this was the era when the concept of conflict of interest was still alien in society) should be helping to resolve the issues but instead we are witnessing her destructive actions, causing untold commotion to ICT sector. Sometimes I think ex-minister Nelisiwe in her obscurity and keeping of a low profile on these issues, resorting instead to negotiated solutions; was at least careful not to rock the boat. As a novice in ICT she would have been forgiven for doing what Minister Winnie is doing today. First, it was firing a board that the toothless parliament had ordered was not to be fired, now Nelisiwe Mabuza. Elijah's suspension was a foregone conclusion at least for me. Its only a matter of time that the Ngcobo-led board is also fired; because, one of these days they would also fail to carry out one the many controversial instructions dished out by their principals. This is a vindictive leadership, Nelisiwe Mabuza's gave us her version of leaving SPTC board as resignation. But no, Winnie goes to rub it on and say she fired her as if to impress us! Talking of trigger happy. I agree with employees that she would better be moved some place else, so that an objective person is put in that position before we have an uprising. In fact if the leadership had the interest of the sector, Winnie should have been the last person to appoint as minister ICT because of her past in these two entitities.
Mar 29, 2012, 1:51 PM, Burns Dlamini Lobhoncela (Burnspolitics@gmail.com)

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