MANZINI: Sabelo Dlamini, the Secretary General of the Eswatini Local Kombi Association said the shift system in the transport industry that was implemented during the partial lockdown was a fertile ground for the infamous ‘Umdlazi’ for kombi drivers and bus conductors.
This comes after kombi drivers engaged in a strike action on Thursday in an effort to force the Kombi Association to revert to the shift system that was introduced during the partial lockdown. This was after government allowed all public transport vehicles back on the road.
Speaking to this Swaziland News,the (SLKA) Secretary General said the strike action began after several kombi drivers were arrested for ranking illegally at Mhlaleni in a bid to get more customers. They then felt there was a need to revert back to the shift system where the number of vehicles matched the population they served.
“They engaged in a strike action demanding to work 15 days a month as they claimed it was more profitable but we were able to order them back to work. According to our assessments we discovered that they used to make more money for themselves during the shift system through ‘umdlazi’.Its profitable for us to make E 600 for 30 days as that amounts to E 18000 per month, and I can be able to service my bank loans and pay my workers. With the shift system I can only get E1 000 for 15 days and with that amount of money I cannot meet my monthly expenses”, he said.
Manzini City