Times Of Swaziland: PUBLIC TRANSPORT WORKERS BLOCK ROADS IN PROTEST

PUBLIC TRANSPORT WORKERS BLOCK ROADS IN PROTEST
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BY SIBUSISO ZWANE on 13/10/2021 08:27:00


MALKERNS – Members of the public, who had to travel past Malkerns yesterday
between noon and late afternoon, had to turn back, while some had to pay in
order to pass.
This was because public transport workers, who work in kombis that operate along
the Manzini/Malkerns and Mbabane/Malkerns public roads, blocked the road and
staged a ‘roadblock’, where they demanded money from motorists who wanted to
pass. This took place during the public transport workers’ protest action
where they were complaining about alleged misconduct by some senior officers
from the traffic departments at Malkerns and Mankayane police stations.
Around noon yesterday, the public transport workers regrouped at Malkerns town
and blocked the roads from Mahlanya and Sundowners Backpackers and Lodge with
dustbins, bottles and stones, while singing and dancing to political songs and
slogans. In the meantime, some public transport owners led a group of the
workers to deliver a petition verbally to the Malkerns Police Station. They were
accompanied by some police officers.
According to the public transport workers, their grievances included that the
senior officers in question were allegedly ill-treating them, using vulgar
language and charging them spot fines which were above those stipulated in the
Road Traffic Act. On top of that, they claimed that at times, they would ask the
police officers to issue a ticket so that they could pay within seven days, but
they allegedly refused.
“They threaten to take us to court and ask that we pay them between E100 and
E200 if we do not want them to issue a summons,” they claimed. As the selected
group delivered their grievances to the police station, the others blocked
motorists and demanded that they pay E20 if they wanted to pass. On the other
hand, police officers who were deployed to ensure peace and order advised most
motorists to turn back because the protesting public transport workers were
rowdy. As such, most motorists took the advice of the law enforcers.
Later on, the protesters blocked a tipper truck loaded with river sand at
Malkerns town and ordered the driver to offload the sand on the road, or else
they would stone the truck. The driver, who asked to remain anonymous, said he
did not hesitate after being threatened. “I immediately delivered the load on
the road because I did not want to lose my job again,” he said. He revealed
that during the violent protest which took place at Siphofaneni around July
2021, he was driving the truck that was ferrying an excavator, which was burnt
by the protesters. He said after that incident, his employer paid him half his
salary for two months and he decided to look for another job. “So, I did not
want to lose this job,” he emphasised.
Truck
Again, along the Sundowners Backpackers and Lodge/Malkerns Public Road, the
protesting public transport workers blocked a horse and trailer truck, which was
ferrying timber, and pulled its trailer across the road, thus blocking other
motorists. Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Superintendent
Phindile Vilakati sad they received some complaints from the public transport
workers at the Malkerns Police Station yesterday. She said they would address
the concerns and asked the concerned workers to give them time to attend to it.