BUGANU BLAMED FOR SNAT TENSIONS

MANZINI – There was tension at SNAT Centre yesterday as the union’s Usuthu Branch petitioned the national executive committee (NEC).

The members of the Usuthu Branch of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) arrived at SNAT Centre yesterday afternoon with the intention of delivering a petition to the NEC, where they were mainly demanding that Patrick Mamba, whom they elected as their chairman, should be recognised.
However, inside sources said some of teachers were in a questionable state of sobriety when they arrived at SNAT Centre.

In fact, the source said they were drinking what is believed to be buganu (marula brew) and they were uncontrollable.
“They sang around and kicked the doors of the teachers’ union building, something which caused tension between the NEC and the branch members,” the insiders said.

Calm

However, they said later on, the branch leaders managed to calm their unbecoming members and the petition was accepted by SNAT Secretary General Sikelela Dlamini.

In the petition, the Usuthu Branch of SNAT ordered the NEC to do the noble and honourable thing by unreservedly accepting that it erred in fact and law by instructing the branch executive committee (BEC) to nullify the election of Mamba, whom they regarded as their reigning chairperson.

unconditionally

As such, the Usuthu Branch of SNAT demanded that the NEC unconditionally withdraw its letter to the BEC dated March 27, 2019 declaring the branch bi-elections were erroneous.

Again, the branch demanded that the NEC should unconditionally withdraw the November 26, 2019 circular as they argued it was an illegitimate document that allegedly sought to unilaterally amend an adopted resolution in order to align it with the NEC interpretation of same.
Once more, they demanded that the NEC should officially introduce the Usuthu Branch Chairperson as such to the SNAT general council (GC) during the checking of credentials in their meeting.

“The NEC should release with immediate effect the branch’s subventions back into its bank account,” reads part of the petition. 
They emphasised their demand that the NEC should reconsider its position on the matter for the sake of the democratic organisation.

SNAT Secretary General Dlamini confirmed the tension and the petition delivery by the Usuthu Branch of the teachers’ union.
However, he said he would not go into the merits of the petition because they were still going to discuss it internally, in a bid to resolve the matter.

contested

What this publication gathered was that during the NEC elections, Mamba contested for the position of being a president, but later withdrew.
In that regard, when he was voted as the chairman of Usuthu Branch of SNAT, the NEC nullified the results based on allegations that there was a resolution that a member who would enter a race for a seat in the NEC, was not supposed to join elections at branch level.

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