Eswatini Labour Insight

  The price paid for Austerity is already too high for ordinary people in eSwatini? Then Senator Neal Rijkernberg campaigning for a cabinet post at the Sibaya in 2018. He was later appointed finance minister on the ticket to deal with public sector workers wages. 1.       From the onset the 11 th government of Eswatini (2018-2023) established, in its core narrative, that the public sector wage bill ( for both the central government and funds transferred  to public enterprises) was so high that it had become an impediment to the development aspirations of the country and may  negatively impact the country’s ability to meet its broader obligations to Eswatini citizens and beyond. Current leading political figures such as Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg (pictures above), utilised the wage bill issue as a campaign tool to get appointed into the ministerial position. He was widely cited by local media, at the people’s parliament gathering before the pro...

  THE LACK OF WORK OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE YOUTH  IS A TICKING TIME BOMB. UNIVERSAL INCOME CAN BE A SOLUTION. The 12th August every year marks the international youth day. The theme for IYD 2021 was "Transforming Food Systems, Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health".  Around 60% of citizens in Africa are young people, the AU estimates that there are 400 million African citizens are between the ages of 18-35. All these young people need access to education, jobs and  prosperous futures for themselves and their families. Sadly the economic and political systems in Africa seems inadequate to cater for the society made up of mainly the young people. Young people are a special demographic in the sense that they need opportunities to get educated, for work and for entrepreneurship. The youth in eSwatini  have equally borne the brunt of youth unfriendly policies that have ,for instance, seen cuts in social expenditure on youth oriented prog...

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...