EMANYEVA: SNAT THREATENS TO DELIVER PETITION TO SADC DELEGATES

FORMER SNAT PRESIDENT SIBONGILE MAZIBUKO SINGING DURING THE MARCH.

MBABANE – It seems the King’s message when he pleaded with the public for calm during the forthcoming SADC Summit fell on deaf ears as the Swaziland National Association of  Teachers (SNAT) has threatened to deliver a petition to delegates attending the summit.

During a protest march held yesterday, the Secretary General of SNAT, Muzi Mhlanga, said if by August 16, 2016 government would not have complied with their demands, they would take their petition to the SADC Summit and deliver it there.
Mhlanga encouraged the close to 200 teachers to attend the Peoples’ Summit, which will begin on Tuesday. He told them that during the People’s Summit it is where they would draft grievances to be delivered during the heads of State summit.
The march started from the Coronation Park along Msakato Street to Zwide Street and finally to the Ministry of Public Service.

The SNAT members had made a stop at the Ministry of Education and Training, where they only sang and danced. During the march, traffic movement was interrupted as they would sit in the middle of the road while others danced. Though police did not have a hard time in controlling the teachers, they were not happy with them disturbing traffic flow. The petition was accepted by Principal Secretary (PS) in the Ministry of Public Service Evart Madlopha.  Its main gist was on the demotion of heads of department of schools (HODs). Mhlanga said SNAT had noted that teachers were treated unfairly in various ways and the ministry had failed to resolve the teachers’ concerns without any reasonable grounds. 

He said government had failed to implement the recommendations of the salary review report as suggested by the consultant and as articulated in the collective agreement that was signed on July 6, 2016 by the Government Negotiating Team (GNT) and Public Sector Associations (PSAs).
“According to the signed collective agreement, HODs were moved from C6 to E1. However, the establishment circular that was released by your office showed that HODs were moved to D3, which is a demotion to them in terms of salary,” Mhlanga said.
He pointed out that this demolition was then manifested when teachers received their salaries in July as some had them reduced by up to E700 yet others had theirs increased by E54.
Meawhile, Madlopha said the issue raised by SNAT did not fall under his ministry but to a table where it was addressed before. Madlopha’s statement was met with disagreement and harsh words from the teachers who attended the march. Some shouted at him not to address them if he had nothing to say.

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