Swazi Observer

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MBONGWA CHARGED WITH INSTILLING FEAR, HATRED

By Nonduduzo Kunene | 2022-08-12

Mbabane - THE Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) President Mbongwa Dlamini, has been slapped with three counts of misconduct and instilling fear and hatred.
Dlamini was served with the charges yesterday around 10am at the ministry of education and training after being summoned.

According to the charge sheet signed by Schools Manager Lungelo Nhlengetfwa, the SNAT president is expected to furnish the under secretary-schools manager’s office with responses before Monday.

In his responses, he needs to give reasons in writing why disciplinary action should not be taken against him.

In the letter, Nhlengetfwa highlights Dlamini’s statements of advising teachers against reporting to work on Monday as reasons for the charges.
He quotes several platforms where audio and videos of Dlamini’s announcement were broadcast.

“On or about August 5, 2022 you ran an audio and video announcement over the SNAT and Swaziland News Platform on Facebook warning teachers against going to school on August 8, 2022.

“You alluded to this in a call with the national police commissioner on August 8, and also in an interview article by Bongiwe Dlamini of Swaziland News with the Swaziland Solidarity Forces order on August 7,” read the charges in part.

Secondly, he was charged for bringing the teaching service into disrepute by announcing that teachers must not go to school on Monday of which he contravened Section 15 (1)(g) of the Teaching Service Regulations.

Nhlengetfwa further charged Dlamini for not retracting his statement when government officials encouraged employees to report to work and further ensured them of their safety.
“When senior government officials stated that work shall continue as normal in the country on Monday, as pronounced by the minister for public service, national commissioner of police, the government spokesperson, the principal secretary in the ministry of education and training you never retracted your statement,” stated Nhlengetfwa.

The schools’ manager said Dlamini used his position as SNAT president to encourage hatred or contempt towards the Government of the Kingdom of Eswatini thus contravened Section 15 (1) (i) of the Teaching Service Commission Regulations of 1983.

“As per the powers vested upon the schools’ manager in terms of Regulation 15 (2) of the Teaching Service Regulations of 1983, may I inform you of the misconduct alleged against you in relation to Regulation 15(1) (a) (g) and (i),” reads complaint one of the letter that Dlamini was served with.

The regulations under Section 15 (1) state that a teacher who: (a) conducts himself in a way, which interferes to a material extent with the efficient operation of a school; (g) does or attempts to do anything, which is likely to bring the service into disrepute; (i) uses or attempts to use his position in the service to further the ends of a political party shall be held liable.

Section 15 (2) of the regulations states that a manager of a teacher who has misconducted himself in terms of sub-regulation (1) shall (a) inform the teacher in writing of the misconduct alleged against him; (b) allow the teacher an opportunity to present his defence in writing.
(3) If the manager is not satisfied with the defence presented by the teacher, he shall forward to the commission a written complaint and a copy of the teacher’s defence for consideration by the commission.

(4) If a manager considers the misconduct alleged against a teacher to be of a serious nature, he may suspend the teacher from service pending a decision by the commission there on.

Dlamini, when asked for comment on the charges, referred questions to the organisation’s Secretary General, Sikelela Dlamini.

Sikelela said they were shocked by the schools’ manager’s actions against their president.
According to Sikelela, they followed all the right channels pertaining advising teachers not to report to work on Monday.

He claimed that they had notified the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training, Bhekithemba Gama, prior to exercising the Occupational Health and Safety Act of 2001.

“The threats were directed to teachers hence we took them seriously,” he said.
Sikelela recalled events of last year where teachers’ vehicles were in some schools vandalised and pelted with stones after almost similar threats were issued and teachers reported to work.

He said as of today teachers still relived those events, which he described as traumatic.

Mandate

The secretary general said the Dlamini communicated at an organisational level.
Sikelela said as elected members it was within their mandate to assess the situation their members work under and be in a position to appropriately advise them.

“We are taking the attack of the president as an attack to SNAT itself,” he said.
“Our response to the correspondence that has been issued by the office of the schools manager shall be responded to organisationally,” Sikelela added.

He said they were consulting their legal team on the matter with an aim to chart a way forward.

The secretary general claimed that it was clear that government was on a mission to bash the organisation and eventually dismiss the SNAT president from teaching.
Sikelela said the organisation would ensure that the president was defended as an officer elected by the people.

Principal Secretary, Gama said he responded to the SNAT letter dated August 3, notifying them about the purported threats.

Gama said he responded through a letter on August 4 to SNAT wherein he assured them that the ministry would do everything to ensure the safety of teachers and pupils in schools.

He said that he further informed them there were no threats that they (govt) were aware of and that schools were expected to operate normally, adding that government also announced the same.

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