Times Of Swaziland: GOVT, SA REACH AGREEMENT ON RETURN OF MINEWORKERS

GOVT, SA REACH AGREEMENT ON RETURN OF MINEWORKERS
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BY SIBUSISO SHANGE on 30/06/2020 00:31:00


MBABANE - If you are a migrant mineworker, there is no need to stress about
returning to work.
This is because the mineworkers will start going back to work from July 16.
In the latest development, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security Principal
Secretary Thulani Mkhaliphi said the South African Government had reached an
agreement with Eswatini, Mozambique, Lesotho and Botswana concerning the migrant
mineworkers who were locked in their countries.
Migrant mineworkers were locked in their countries, when countries, including
South Africa, introduced lockdowns due to the COVID-19 outbreak. During this
period, cross-border travelling was temporarily banned to minimise the spread of
the virus.
Mkhaliphi said in consultations with the South African Government, it was agreed
that migrant mineworkers would return to work this month.
He was speaking on national radio yesterday morning.
Transport
He said the agreement was that transport would be arranged for the mineworkers.
According to Mkhaliphi, countries with large numbers of migrant mineworkers
would be given preference.
He made an example of Lesotho and Mozambique, stating that there were about 4
000 migrant mineworkers from these countries who were expected to return to work
this month. He said as a result, those countries would be given preference.
Coming back home, Mkhaliphi said the agreement was that transport would be
arranged for about 600 emaSwati working in the South African mines. He said the
South African mines had contacted the TEBA Office to carry out the exercise.
“Migrant mineworkers would be called by the TEBA Office as of July 16,
2020,” he said.
According to Mkhaliphi, the transportation of the mineworkers would last for a
week as they would be transported in stages to minimise the spread of COVID-19.
“They will be expected to bring all their belongings so that they can be
transported to the mines. There is no money involved in the process so we are
not expecting people to fall prey to con artists,” he said. Mkhaliphi said it
had come to the ministry’s attention that there were emaSwati, including
migrant mineworkers who crossed to the neighbouring country through informal
crossing points.
He warned emaSwati against using the informal crossing points as they risked
being arrested for breaching COVID-19 regulations and the Immigration Act.
The relief came at a time when migrant mineworkers felt neglected when
government negotiated for the return of people working in other countries.
Swaziland Migrant Mineworkers Association Executive Secretary Vama Jele thanked
government for engaging its counterparts concerning the mineworkers. He said the
stay of their members at home had a negative impact not only on their families
but also on the economy.
Salaries
Jele stated that over the past few months, the migrant mineworkers lost about E5
million in remittances as some had no salaries in the last three months.
“We are happy with the latest developments. We have been trying to locate the
migrant mineworkers since they returned to the country so that government can
get the specific numbers. Government has carried out its responsibility by
engaging its counterparts concerning the issue,” he said.
However, Jele pointed out a few challenges. He said there were no transport
logistics for the mineworkers who used their own transport.
He said the issue of transport logistics for those who used their own transport
needed to be addressed soon so that they could know where they stood.
“The migrant mineworkers who use their own transport want to know what will
happen to them as they have their own transport. They want to know how they will
be assisted at the border gates,” he said.