General

MBABANE – The Chinese nationals who were reportedly stranded in Eswatini due to unpaid salaries have finally been flown back to their home country.

The workers, employed by Pinnacoal Mining Company operating at Mpaka, had raised complaints earlier this year that they had not received any wages since their arrival in December 2024. Reports indicated that they allegedly lived in substandard conditions near the mining site and alleged that their passports had been confiscated by the employer, Zheng Lee.

According to impeccable sources, the repatriation process has now been successfully completed in line with the Employment Act No. 5 of 1980. “All workers have now safely returned to China. The employer fulfilled her obligation to cover both transportation and subsistence expenses during their travel, as required by law,” said a source.

The Employment Act mandates that employers are responsible for repatriating foreign employees where the contract has expired, been terminated or the employer is unable to continue employment. The law also covers expenses incurred during the journey to prevent employees from being stranded.

The resolution follows weeks of intensive government intervention.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, in collaboration with the Immigration Department under the Ministry of Home Affairs, facilitated dialogue between the workers and their employer to ensure compliance with labour standards and protection of employees’ rights.

Full article available in our publication.

Some Pinnacoal employees posing with the banner outside their employer’s homestead in Ezulwini, where they had gone to demand their unpaid salaries since December 6, 2024. (Pic: File)