IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIl Some TUCOSWA members shout khukhulelangoco
The members suggested that the planned mass protest should last more than a day, with some suggesting at least three days.
MANZNI - Khukhulelangoco! This adjective, which means a mass protest action which lasts for days or weeks, is one of those which best describes what some workers and emaSwati from the Manzini Region suggested that the Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) should do as it plans for a nationwide protest action over prices of goods and services, which continues to hike in the country.
The suggestion was thrown on the table during the ongoing consultative meetings, which are hosted by the workers’ federation across the four regions of the country. They said since the continued hike of prices for basic commodities affect every liSwati; TUCOSWA should compile a list of demands that would touch emaSwati from various sectors of the economy and organisations so that more emaSwati could partake in the planned protest action. They also suggested that it should last more than a day, with some suggesting at least three days.
In fact, TUCOSWA President Bheki Mamba, who was chairing the consultative meeting which was held at the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) Centre, in Manzini, sad they had already met with various organisations, which include the Swaziland Unemployed Peoples’ Movement (SUPMO), Federation Organisation of the Disabled People in Swaziland (FODSWA), political parties and some public transport operators.
Staggered
He said some of the organisation suggested that the planned action should be staggered and start with a three-day mass protest action, followed with seven days and gauging from how it would be, they could continue adding the days, until their demands were addressed.
For example, he said some of the public transport operators said they were for the mass protest action, because they want salaries of their clients to increase so that the industry could have business. He said according to operators, currently, there was no business in the industry as some of their clients did not afford bus fares, thus they only travelled when there was a pressing need, unlike before, where people travelled even for leisure.
On the same note, he said unemployed people mentioned that without any signs that government was creating a conducive environment to attract investors who would create job opportunities; it meant that their future would be bleak.
Planned
In that regard, he said they vowed to partake in the planned mass protest action as they wanted government to be seen doing something in terms of job creation.
Again, the president of the federation said when they met with FODSWA, they were informed that even though government was paying school fees (E560 per pupil), through the Free Primary Education (FPE) programme for children with disabilities, no one paid for their accommodation (hostel fees) at the School for the Deaf, for example. He said accommodation rose to up to E12 000 per year. In that regard, he said one of the demands, which would people with disabilities would support in the planned mass protest action, was that government should also cater for accommodation.
Once more, he said political parties said since they were calling for an all-inclusive national dialogue, they would be part of the planned protest action as they wanted political reforms in the country.
“Parents and guardians will also be part of us because we are calling for an increase of the Orphaned and Vulnerable Children (OVC) money from E1 950 to at least E4 000 per pupil per year, so there is no need for schools to ask for top-up-fees,” the president said.
He said the argument was who was going to pay the top-up-fees because the children qualified to benefit from the OVC fund because they had been declared as orphaned and/or vulnerable.
In terms of workers, he said they expected all employees from the various sectors, because they would be demanding the public and private sector should review salaries of their workforce and that no one should be paid less than E3 500 per month.
exactly
Regarding exactly when the planned mass protest action would be, Mamba sad on Monday they would serve government with a notice.
He said according to the law, such a notice should be served at least 25 days before the day of the action. Therefore, he said while they would be hosting the consultative meetings in the regions, the notice would be counting down the 25 days.
“This means that the mass protest action, which will take either a form of a demonstration or stay away, will take place any time after the 25 days of the notice, depending on what we will agree on during the consultative meetings and engagements with the other organisation,” the president said.
When making submissions, some of the attendees of the meeting suggested that they should relive the 1996 workers mass strike action, which was led by the then Swaziland Federation of Trade Union (SFTU), which was widely known as the 27 demands.
“The mass protest action, which will take either a form of a demonstration or stay away, will take place any time after the 25 days notice.”