Mbabane - Despite the Swaziland government’s denial, its own earlier statement proves that the country’s schools did not open this week as scheduled, so that thousands of boys could weed King Mswati’s sorghum fields.
The government’s claim this week that the real reason for the delay was to allow pupils more time to register is inconsistent with the Education Ministry’s own broadcast on state media that was covered in the independent press last week.
“The general public is informed that the government has decided to postpone the opening of schools from January 20 to 27, 2015. The reason is that imisebenti yelive iyachubeka (national work is continuing),” reads a press statement released by Phineas Magagula, the Education Minister.
The continuing “national work” is the weeding of royal fields in the central Manzini region.
Like the harvesting of these fields in May, work is done by a combination of young men and boys, soldiers and police personnel. Each labouring boy will be given a 2015 calendar bearing a photo of King Mswati.
Public transport operators and the Swaziland National Association of Teachers were not given advance warning.
“We were never consulted. We were geared for the schools opening. The postponement will affect our planning because we have what we call scheming, where we plan around the days on how we are going to work. I am receiving calls from disgruntled teachers and I explained to them that they have to accept it,” said Muzi Mhlanga, the secretary-general of the teachers’ body.
Magagula accused private schools of bringing the country to a state of lawlessness if they did not heed the closure order.
All private schools had complied by Tuesday.
“Maybe 1 000 boys help weed the fields, but hundreds of thousands of pupils will have their education disrupted,” said Mary Dlamini, a primary school teacher in Manzini.
Mugwena Maluleke, the general secretary of the South African Democratic Teachers Union, condemned the closures this week.
The Swaziland Solidarity Network, a group of South Africa-based Swazis seeking an end to King Mswati’s absolute monarchy, plans to march to Pretoria’s Union Buildings to petition the South African government to intervene on the school closures.
About 70% of Swazis live on communal land assigned to them by palace-appointed chiefs, and are obliged to participate in tribute labour.
Workers’ organisations have objected that the practice violates Convention 29 of the International Labour Organisation against forced labour.
ILO Convention 29 states: “Compulsory labour to which recourse is had for the execution of public works by chiefs who exercise administrative functions shall be progressively abolished.” Swaziland ratified the convention in 1980.
- Independent Foreign Service