Africa-Press – Eswatini. Companies with alleged links to King Mswati through the multibillion Tibiyo TakaNgwane investment company have been accused of ‘underpaying’ employees and/or violating workers rights.
This was confirmed by Wander Mkhonza, the Secretary General of the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland(ATUSWA) when responding on Wednesday amid low wages by paid some companies within the private sector.
“Even the Office of the Labour Commissioner is failing to help because once they realize that the company is linked to the King, they normally drop the reported cases,” he said.
Companies allegedly linked to Mswati include among others, MTN Eswatini, Montigny Investments, Parmalat Swaziland, Inyatsi Construction, Maloma Colliery, Eswatini Observer, Eswatini Beverages, Ubombo Sugar Limited, the Eswatini Development Finance Corporation(FINCORP) and the Royal Eswatini Sugar Corporation(RESc).
But this is not to suggest that all the above mentioned royal linked companies are violating workers rights and/or underpaying employees as some are known for providing decent working conditions.
Efforts to reach Tibiyo TakaNgwane Managing Director Absalom Themba Dlamini proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.
Reached for comments by this publication, King Mswati’s Spokesperson Percy Simelane said “the King cannot allow the exploitation of his people adding that, “there are possibilities that the Monarch’s name is abused” to exploit workers and then intimidate labour inspectors.
“To the best of my knowledge, the King can never condone exploitation of his people. Chances are his name is used to intimidate those who challenge low wages,” said the King’s Spokesperson.
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