Times Of Swaziland: MBONGWA IS NEW SNAT PRESIDENT

MBONGWA IS NEW SNAT PRESIDENT
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BY THEMBINKOSI MAVIMBELA on 04/09/2018 04:07:00


MATSAPHA – Mbongwa Dlamini is the new SNAT President. SNAT is an acronym for
Swaziland National Association of Teachers. Dlamini came out victorious after
elections which were held during the first day of the organisation’s National
Congress which was held at Esibayeni Lodge since Sunday.
He was competing for the position against vocal trade unionist Siphasha Dlamini.
Mbongwa is a teacher at Mhubhe High School.
Outgoing SNAT Secretary General Zwelithini Mndzebele said the presidency
position was fiercely contested between the two candidates. Mndzebele said
Mbongwa did not have a landslide victory but won by a few votes. According to
the elections results, Mbongwa won by eight votes as he got 149 while Siphasha
got 141.
Mbongwa will succeed outgoing President Freedom Dlamini, while his deputy will
be Celucono Dino Dlamini, who is popular in football circles. The latter won
most votes for the position against Vusi Sibanyoni. Khumbuzile Sithebe was
entrusted with holding the organisation’s purse as Mndzebele stated that she
was voted as the SNAT Treasurer. Sithebe was up against Norman Sicelo Matsenjwa
for the position.
Mndzebele will hand over the reins to his Deputy Secretary, Sikelela Dlamini,
who was voted to be the SNAT Secretary General. Mndzebele narrated that Sikelela
won after his position was not contested.
He said this was the end of a short era. “Those who are leaving will do so
with a clear conscience, no hard feelings and will hand over the baton to these
comrades (new NEC),” Mndzebele said.
He said they might leave office and hand over to the new National Executive
Council (NEC) around month end. He could not say what the future held for the
organisation but stated that the incoming NEC could be in a better position to
do that. He said he believed in the incoming leadership and added that it had
capacity in all aspects.
Mndzebele said it was a rare opportunity to lead the organisation and thanked
teachers for trusting them, as the outgoing NEC, to lead the union. He shared
that his position was one which required him to work extra hard. He said he had
to sacrifice certain things to be able to serve the union well.
Mndzebele’s experience as secretary general had change him. He said the
position exposed him to a lot of things which changed him for the better. He
said even the way he interacted with people changed for the better. “One other
element that I am happy about as an individual for having been given this
opportunity was to spearhead the business venture for SNAT,” Mndzebele said.
He added that it was now in the hands of the incoming leadership to take the
organisation forward.
In an interview, incoming secretary general Sikelela said most people would
expect him to be happy with the new position but he was not due to the nature of
the task that was before him.
Servitude
He explained that secretary generals became servants of the people and explained
that servitude could not be celebrated, particularly because their daily
operations were governed by fear, respect and humility for all those they
represented.
“On a daily basis you need to do an introspection to see whether you are still
furthering the organisation’s objectives and mandate,” Sikelala said. He,
however, appreciated the trust bestowed on him by the over 14 000 teachers who
are members of the organisation. He said that could not be taken lightly.
Sikelela described himself as a drop in the ocean which was part of a larger
collective. He said he would be transformed to a formidable force if the masses
were fully behind him and the new NEC. He said in a democratic organisation,
leaders did not do as they pleased but did what the membership wanted.
Sikelela explained that the needs of a trade union could be largely categorised
into two; one being those that touched on the individual and the other on the
collective. He stated that his modus operandi would be putting more emphasis on
purely factorial issues like allowances. He added that they would achieve this
through working together as a unit.
Sikelela narrated that there were benefits they did not enjoy. He explained that
there were terms of service and conditions of service and employment which
entailed living conditions and working material among other things.
“My objective is to have a fully professionalised teaching as it is not that
much realised,” Sikelela said.
He further said he believed if teachers would elevate themselves and be entirely
professional, government would be forced to treat them as professionals. He said
teachers had to regain the status of having solutions to societal issues,
something he said they were known for.