EMASWATI TRUCK DRIVERS IN SA TOLD TO RESIGN OR FACE VIOLENCE

MBABANE – An ultimatum has been imposed on all emaSwati truck drivers to resign from their workplaces in South Africa (SA) this month, or face violence.

The renewed threat of violence, linked to xenophobia against foreigners, has prompted unionists to suspect that it is related to next month’s general elections in the Republic of South Africa. A majority of political parties in the neighbouring State have used, as their manifesto, an urgent call to remove illegal immigrants and protect jobs for South Africans. SA truckers, who have formed vigilante groups, blocked truck drivers and forced them to produce their driver’s licences last month, before issuing the ultimatum. One of the Eswatini truck drivers who fell victim was identified as Maseko. He was stopped by members of the vigilante group at Melmoth, while driving a truck with SA registration numbers.

Harassed

He was harassed and embarrassed by the group, which took a video while hackling him for ‘taking their jobs’. The Zulu-speaking men also accused him of using a fake driver’s licence.
Before they released him, they issued a statement that all emaSwati truck drivers were no longer wanted in SA companies and that failure to observe this order would attract consequences. While at it, the group also called the liSwati’s employer and ordered that he relieve all foreigners from his employ, and make them return to their countries of origin. “Your employer has promised to comply with our order,” they said to Maseko. Meanwhile, they told the liSwati man that they did not want to ever see him again from April 1, along the SA roads. “Your employer has served us with papers stating that he will comply. So you must go back home to Eswatini,” they said. They further said they would keep him hostage until his employer arrived to explain why he employed non-South Africans.

The four-minute clip attracted sympathy from emaSwati whose comments mainly advised that the truck drivers must stop risking lives and come back home. “We are grateful that they did not hurt you. Come back home,” they said. Meanwhile, a member of the truck drivers association of emaSwati, told this publication that the intimidation and threats of violence had never stopped coming from the South Africans. He said members of the All Truck Drivers Forum (ATDF) were pulling all the stops to remove emaSwati from the roads. “We have left our families back home starving and went to search for jobs. We are in no way stealing South Africans’ jobs, but there are routes in which employers prefer emaSwati drivers to South Africans. They fail to understand that we are Africans trying to earn a living, like them,” said the truck driver. He further said the unemployment in Eswatini was so high that they preferred to risk their lives on SA roads.

He also blamed the Eswatini socio-political situation, saying it contributed to the job losses. The truck driver estimated that the number of emaSwati truck drivers was 400, but said the number could be much more. “You will recall that none of the emaSwati want their nationalities to be known. Some have dual citizenship, while others are using licences that do not belong to them. This then implies that the number of emaSwati truck drivers cannot be easily ascertained,” he said. Currently, the rate of unemployment in Eswatini is said to be 35 per cent. Meanwhile, Acting Chairperson of the National Road Transportation Council (NRTC) Sabelo Dlamini said he had gathered that the SA Government was no longer issuing work permits for truck drivers after there were objections from some South Africans. He said even when a local truck owner intended to employ a truck driver to work in SA, he was obliged to stipulate that the job was for South Africans only, to avoid exposing emaSwati to the violence.

He said several emaSwati truck drivers were being harassed by vigilante groups on SA roads. “One of our drivers said he had to abandon the truck at Hazyview (Mpumalanga) and walked all the way to Eswatini, after spending the night in the bushes. There are many such incidents,” he said. Dlamini said it was a pity that there were not enough industries in Eswatini to employ all the emaSwati truck drivers if they were all to return home. “An alternative will be to convince them to go for other industries where jobs are available. We cannot expect them to continue ducking death in SA if the situation persists,” he said.

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