MUNICIPALITY KICKS OUT CAR WASHERS

MBABANE – Cul-de-sac! This is the term that best describes the situation found by washers of vehicles at a car wash yesterday.
They found that their usual work premises were closed.

The car washers, who operate at the car wash situated adjacent to the Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Services (EBIS), were livid after the Municipal Council of Mbabane abruptly stopped them from rendering their services to motorists.

They are 19 in totaland some of them have worked there for close to nine years. The washers stated that they were chucked out by security guards in the morning when they got to the car wash to begin their businesses.

“We got here in the morning and found security guards who told us to vacate the area because it has been leased by someone else.

Worry

“Our worry is that we have been faithfully paying for the permits yet they have placed someone new and gave him the place which we have been working at. The sad part is that we have been asked to work for this person at a ridiculously low salary,” said one washer.
One of the car washers further mentioned that they charged E40 per car and the owner had proposed that he would pay them E15 for each car.

He said although they did not make much money from the car wash, they were able to make ends meet with the little they made. The washer alleged that they were demeaned by the municipality, which took them for granted because they were helpless and trying to make a living with their washing skills.
Another car washer expressed his suspicions on the officiating of the car wash to the new owner.
“We have been religiously paying for our permits but all of a sudden, the tables have turned and we have been kicked out. Surely there was foul play when the municipality reached its decision to lease the place to a new owner,” said the washer.

Meanwhile, Council Information and Public Relations Officer Lucky Tsabedze said the washers’ contracts had expired.
“The permits that council issued to car washers at Prince of Wales expired on March 31, 2019.
“They are not expected to conduct business at the site,” Tsabedze said.

 The information officer stated that the washers were notified by the municipal council in 2018 that it was their last year of doing business at the place and they would be expected to stop operating on the said date.
The car wash is not unique to controversy. It dominated headlines last year when this publication reported that police body trays were washed at the place. These were trays which carry corpses at accident scenes.  
This got the public irked as they expressed that it was a serious health hazard.

    
 

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