Eswatini Labour Insight

The Swaziland Commercial and Allied Workers Union (SCAWU) is a TUCOSWA affiliate trade union that organises workers in the retail sector. The retail sector is one (if not THE ) worst affected sectors in the eSwatini economy by the recent spate of burning and looting that recently engulfed the country. The SLI recently had a conversation with the Secretary General of SCAWU Comrade Philasande Mthethwa (Pictured below) wherein he shared SCAWU's insights about retail sector workers  experiences and perspectives in the wake of the civil unrest.  PICTURE: SCAWU SECRETARY GENERAL COMRADE PHILASANDE MTHETHWA 1.       1. Swazi Labour Insight (SLI) :   How has the burning and looting affected workers in the retail sector? Philasande Mthethwa (PM):  The burning and looting posed a serious threat to the safety of all retail workers. During the looting some workers had to be locked inside the stores as violence rocked the towns and cities. The workers were trau...

  TUCOSWA PETITION TO THE PARLIAMENT OF THE KINGDOM OF ESWATINI NKANINI, LOBAMBA DELIVERED: - 06 August, 2021 1.     Introduction. The Freedom of Association Committee of the International Labour Organization in its report in respect of South Africa observed that, “Decisions taken in the political arena may have a profound impact on the social and economic conditions of workers. If trade unions are to defend the interests of their members, they should not be obliged to confine themselves solely to shop floor questions. They must be free to express their views publicly on a government’s economic and social policy, since their fundamental objective is to advance the social and economic well-being of their members .” This is the position of the ILO and the country is bound by it, the country as member of the ILO is obligated to listen to the workers Federation and attend to the issues raised as they impact on the social and economic lives of its members. ...

PICTURE: SWADNU DEPUTY PRESIDENT STHEMBISO SIMELANE  SWADNU VICE PRESIDENT RCANTS HIS EXPERIENCE OF BEING DETAINED FOR PARTICIPATING IN A PEACEFUL PROTEST IN MANZINI,ESWATINI.  On Friday 15th July 2021 a protest action was called in Manzini, eSwatini  strategically coinciding with a national meeting called by the King at his residence at Lobamba. Early indications from transport returning to Lobamba from fetching the public coming back empty painted a scary picture for the King who wanted to use the meeting to demonstrate his popularity after unprecedented protests had brought the country to a standstill in previous weeks. Above all else this caused the state to move swiftly to violently suppressed the protest action.  One of the participants of the protest action and later a victim of state brutality on the day was the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) Vice President Sthembiso Kwazi Simelane. We at the Swazi Labour Insight caught up with him to  talk a...

SATUCC/ITUC-AFRICA WEBINAR - MOBILISING SOLIDARITY AND SUPPORT FOR ESWATINI PEOPLES STRUGGLES FOR GENUINE DEMOCRATISATION 09/07/21 PRESENTATION BY TUCOSWA ACTING SECRETARY GENERAL MDUDUZI GINA (pictured below) Introduction. In April 1973, the King abrogated the independence constitution which had a bill of rights inclusive of the rights for the citizens to participate in the election of a government. The King decreed that the Constitution “ has permitted the importation into our country of highly undesirable political practices alien to, and incompatible with the way of life in our society and designed to disrupt and destroy our own peaceful and constructive and essentially democratic methods of political activity; increasingly this element causes hostility , bitterness and unrest in our peaceful society”. The King thereafter bestowed absolute powers upon himself. He declared that he was from then assuming supreme power in that, “ all Legislative , Executive and Judicial powe...

  FROM THE SHOPFLOOR - OPINION The winds of democratic change and workers in Eswatini By Mduduzi Gina  TUCOSWA ACTING SECRETARY GENERAL Picture: Mduduzi Gina The 19 th of June 2021 has turned out to be a historic day in Eswatini as youths in 15 constituencies around the country gathered in their Tinkhundla Centres to deliver petitions of demands to their Members of Parliament (MPs) and their Inkhundla teams. This represented a culmination of a momentum that has been building over time, fueled in part by MPs such as Bacede Mabuza (Hosea Inkhundla) ,Mduduzi Simelane (Siphofaneni Inkhundla) and Mthandeni Dube (Ngwempisi Inkhundla) and a youth protest movement that has emerged to fight against police brutality. Workers and TUCOSWA ,in particular, may be excused for feeling vindicated during this time because the calls for change have long been associated with TUOSWA and other progressive political parties and civil society organisations, and for a good reason. For those who c...

  FROM THE SHOPFLOOR - OPINION THE ANATOMY OF POLICE BRUTALITY IN ESWATINI ACCORDING TO WORKERS Picture: Comrade Mduduzi Gina - TUCOSWA Acting Secretary General  The only genuine workers’ federation in Eswatini, the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) continues to observe the activities carried out by the youth of the country in the wake of the brutal and senseless killing of Thabani Nkomonye in the month of May 2021. Workers continue to pray for the healing of the family of Mr Nkomonye after their unexpected loss of such a young life. Workers are however elated that out of this painful episode the youth of the country, in their different formations, have finally found the strength to walk hand in hand with the rest of society to fight for a just, free and democratic Eswatini that not only respects human rights as an abstract concept but respects political and women’s rights which have been in short supply and neglected in the country for a long time. Workers org...