MBABANE: Life is literally a struggle for elderly Nomsa Maziya,a former member of the Umbutfo eSwatini Defense Force(UEDF).
The former soldier who was unlawfully retrenched without compensation,is now a street vendor at the entrance of the Mbabane Magistrate Court.
Eswatini has about 70% of the population living below the poverty line, even civil servants, security officers and workers within the private sector,are struggling to survive due to low wages and/or unlawful retrenchments.
It has been disclosed that Maziya is among the list of former soldiers who are languishing in poverty, after their services were unlawfully terminated.
Speaking to this Swaziland News during an exclusive interview on Tuesday morning, the soldier said she was working as a switchboard operator at Phocweni Army Barracks but Brigadier Fonono Dube, the then Army Commander, told some of them that the King has decided to terminate their services.
“We were neither compensated nor told the reasons behind the retrenchment,our efforts to meet the King were blocked. I am now surviving by selling fruits and vegetables here at the entrance of the Mbabane Magistrate Court,”said the former soldier.
Responding to a questionnaire from this Swaziland News on Tuesday afternoon, King’s Spokesperson Percy Simelane said,it has become a norm for Executives to use the name of the King to settle administrative issues with their subordinates.
“We wouldn't know what exactly happened when she was fired as alleged because our office was established less than two years ago,decades after this dismissal from the army occurred. It apparently could not have captured that incident because it was nowhere then.It is our experience though that at times executives use the name of the King to settle administrative issues they have with their subordinates,” said the King’s Spokesperson.
Former soldier Nomsa Maziya.