By Zweli Martin Dlamini

MBABANE:The R5.2billion Strategic Oil Reserve Project approved by Parliament last week will result to the employment of foreign nationals who are qualified engineers amid scarcity of engineering skills in eSwatini due to the collapsed education system.

A brief research conducted by this Swaziland News uncovered that, a wide range of skilled workers will be needed for the construction of the Phuzamoya Strategic Oil Reserve and this includes engineers, technicians, and tradespeople. 

But specifically, the construction of the Strategic Oil Reserve will need professionals with expertise in drilling, reservoir engineering, production, electrical engineering, and process engineering. 

During the construction, tradespeople like welders, boilermakers, electricians, mechanics, and heavy equipment operators play crucial roles. 

This means the ordinarily citizens of Siphofaneni with no qualifications or the above mentioned skills will only secure jobs as general labourers, a huge percentage of the jobs might be secured by foreigners.

Reached for comments by this publication, Lucky Dlamini, the Chairman of the Swaziland Unemployed People’s Movement(SUPMO) said, Taiwan might employ own workers adding that, emaSwati will struggle to secure jobs.

“This is not the first Taiwan project and they normally employ their own workers from Taiwan, maybe emaSwati will scramble for the few jobs as general labourers”, he said.

Acting Government Spokesperson Thabile declined to comment about the matter.

Responding to this Swaziland News on the subject matter, Lot Vilakati, the Secretary General of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers(SNAT) said, the country’s education system does no produce engineers but graduates with no skills for such projects.

“In other countries, children are taught engineering at a very young age but here, we have qualified unemployed graduates some who are holding PhDs, it’s the education system that makes redundant. If Taiwan is serious about helping eSwatini, they must introduce their education system here.In other countries like Mozambique, people who never sat for any examination, are earning a living through mechanical engineering and other skills but here bantfwana bafundziswa kugidza”, said the SNAT Secretary General.