FORMER SFTU AND NAWUSHI PRESIDENT SAM SHONGWE VYING FOR NTONDOZI M.P. POSITION

Pictured Above: Samuel Lumanyoka Shongwe, former NAWUSHI President and the current MP candidate for Ntondozi Constituency.

Former Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) and the National Workers Union in Swaziland Higher Institutions (NAWUSHI) president Samuel Shongwe (popularly known as Lumanyoka) recently won primary elections at his home area of kaNdinda to become a candidate for Member of Parliament (MP) in the upcoming secondary elections for Ntondozi Inkhundla in the Manzini region.

Shongwe beat two other candidates one of whom was the outgoing Minister of Tourism and former Ntondozi MP Moses Vilakati and one Lucky Matsenjwa. Reports suggest that Shongwe received 684 votes while Vilakati came second with 498 votes and Lucky Matsenjwa received 146 votes out of the votes cast both on the 26th August and the special voting that had been carried out on Thursday the 24th August 2023 in Manzini.

Speaking to the ELI Shongwe expressed appreciation to the people of kaNdinda and Makhungutja for supporting his candidacy for the MP position. Shongwe further expressed confidence that his track record in sports which he believes has kept young people active as well as his well known development agenda will resonate with the electorate, "My decades long record in community development, in sports as well in fighting for better working conditions for workers in trade union is well known and hopefully the voters will also appreciate this experience and hand me the mandate to be their MP".

Worth noting is the fact that there are several former and current trade union leaders such as the former Secretary General of the Workers in Swaziland Town Councils (WUSTC) Nhlanhla Simelane who is contesting under Mafutseni Constituency. Other current and former leaders such as Swaziland Financial Institutions and Allied Workers (SUFIAW) Jabulile Shiba (Manzini North), former Swaziland Water Services an Allied Workers Union Treasurer Joseph Sibandze (Mbabane East) lost during the primary stage in August.

Final elections for MPs shall take place on the 29th September 2023.

Comments

NAPSAWU HAS SUSPENDED THREE NATIONAL OFFICE BEARERS

Written by Staff Reporter The National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) National General Council (NGC) ,on Thursday 15 th February 2024, suspended three of its National Office Bearers (NOBs), two of whom are believed to be principal officers. Principal Officers number up to three in trade unions and are the President, General Secretary and the Treasurer. The suspension of two of them may therefore demonstrate the seriousness of the matter just barely six months since the current NOBS took office in August 2023. The suspension of the trio is reported to have come after it had been discovered that they were one way or another involved in alleged misappropriation of undisclosed NAPSAWU funds believed to amounting to more than one hundred thousand and seventy thousands (more than E170 000) emalangeni. The funds according to reliable sources are believed to have been approved funds for union activities but were later discovered to have been diverted into pers...

The history of Swaziland Labour Law

1. THE HISTRORY OF SWAZI LABOUR LAW – BY NATHI GUMEDE It is difficult to proceed with issues of individual and collective Swazi Labour law without outlining the key events in the history of the Swazi Labour Movement. Though by no means comprehensive and very accurate, here are some events that have shaped Swazi Labour Law. 1937 – Wages Determining Proclamation 1947 – Trade Union Dispute Proclamation No 31 of 1942 1960 – F.C. Catchpole Commission on Labour Relations Socialization reports absence of trade unions 1962 – Pulp and Timber Worker’s Union established with Pan-Africanist influence as the first trade union; the union called the first strike the same year 1963 - Second Strike of the Pulp and Timber Worker’s Union spread into a National Strike (66,000 man hours). The National strike led to the formation of the Swaziland Democratic party and the Swaziland Progressive Party. The strike was thwarted by the First Battalion of Gordon Highlands from Ken...

OPINION: PRIME MINISTER RUSSELL DLAMINI VS AUDITOR GENERAL TIMOTHY MATSEBULA

Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Dlamini (L) and Auditor General Timothy Matsebula (R) during their meeting in the cabinet offices in March 2024. (Picture courtesy of Eswatini government social media platform) Written by Fundizwi Sikhondze Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini on Thursday 6th June 2024 may have single-handedly plunged his government into its first major political crisis. While fielding questions from the country's editors the Prime Minister was asked a question by The Nation Magazine's Bheki Makhubu about the audit reports from the Auditor General (AG) regarding his tenure as the Chief Executive Officer of the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA). The audits had allegedly flagged unaccounted for expenditure of E180M worth of funds and lately there a report which questioned expenditure of E30M from the NDMA. Prime Minister's reply left his audience of journalist and cabinet ministers gasping as perhaps none were ready for i...

Eswatini Labour Insight

Search This Blog