LADY MABUZA: BAD BLOOD WITH SNAT COST ME ELECTIONS

SITEKI – The Minister of Education and Training, Lady Mabuza, holds a strong view that the bad blood between her ministry and SNAT cost her a Parliament seat.

SNAT is the Swaziland National Association of Teachers. According to the minister, she said she was informed that her relationship with teachers would play out negatively during the elections. Mabuza quickly stated though that she moved on from the primary elections loss and was now focusing on her projects.

Relationship

“One woman told me that my relationship with teachers will come into play during the elections. I know that some teachers were influenced not to vote for me but I have just moved on and focusing on my projects now. I don’t want to be embroiled in issues that will not benefit me,” she said. Noteworthy is that SNAT President Mbongwa Dlamini has been found guilty on all the 109 absenteeism charges preferred against him by the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) and eventually dismissed as a teacher at Moyeni High School. The minister lost by 14 votes to Philemon Mkhatshwa, who recorded 578 votes, while she received 564 votes. Worth noting is that government barred the hosting of SNAT consultative meetings in schools across the country.

However, Mabuza thanked the voters who came in numbers to support her during the primary elections. “I gathered that teachers were influenced to not vote for me under the Mafutseni Inkhundla. But I have since let it go and I am now focused on something that will benefit me like my projects,” she emphasised. Independent investigations within some of the teachers under this inkhundla confirmed the allegations. One teacher, who asked that her identity be concealed in fear of victimisation, stated that such a message was conveyed to members of the organisation in a branch meeting, that they should vote for their favourite chosen candidates but not enemies of SNAT.

Matter

“After that message, it became clear whom it was directed to as we all know that there is a strained relationship between government and SNAT,” briefly asserted the teacher when quizzed about the matter. SNAT Secretary General (SG) Lot Vilakati described the allegations as cheap politics and stated that as an organisation, they did not want to comment on issues of elections. Meanwhile, Minister Mabuza, together with her counterpart at Tourism and Environmental Affairs Moses Vilakati and over 10 outgoing MPs, crashed out of the race to Parliament during the primary elections. Lutfo Dlamini is among the high profile and seasoned politicians to bow out of the race.

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