The SNAT President was addressing the CPS Summer School in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, on Wednesday 27 December 2023, where he called for unity among the fighting forces while also building new cadres for the people’s insurrectionary seizure of power and achievement of democracy now.
Wednesday 27 December 2023: President of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers Swaziland (SNAT), Comrade Mbongwa Dlamini, addressed the CPS Summer School today.
This year’s CPS Summer School (18 to 28 December 2023) is held under the theme, “A New Cadre for the Insurrectionary Seizure of Power to Achieve Democracy Now”.
The SNAT President called for unity among the fighting people of Swaziland if ever an insurrectionary seizure for democracy now, as per the CPS’s theme for the school, will be successful.
He added, “The ruling dynasty has deeply infiltrated progressive organisations, including political parties and workers’ unions. This needs conscious members to play their respective roles to oppose the oppressor wherever it shows its colours”.
President Mbongwa emphasised the need for the Communist Party to play its vanguard role within the trade union movement to strengthen and unite the movement.
“We expect the Communist Party, as the vanguard of the working class, to be very instrumental in showing direction in our various unions in the country. Your presence in the trade union movement must be to build unity, not divide, as per your role,” he added.
The President went on to explain the need for the red colour in SNAT’s regalia – and the broad trade union movement – and called for class conscious workers to continue to capacitate the SNAT membership and entire trade union movement in this regard.
The Mswati autocracy has over the decades sought to attack the right to education and, to this end, weaken further the education system by attacking teachers’ rights including by hiring them on perpetual fixed contracts where they get no benefits.
“But employing teachers is not a privilege but a right. That is why we will always fight for teachers to be hired by the government”, said President Mbongwa.
President Mbongwa continues to stand brave in light of the victimisation he has faced over the years from Mswati’s government for his resolve to fight for teachers’ rights. On 29 August 2023, Mswati’s government arbitrarily terminated the President’s employment for doing union work as per democratic mandate from his union.
The CPS continues to stand in solidarity with the President in this fight, as well as with all other teachers and workers facing victimisation by the Mswati autocracy.
Turning to the theme of the school, the SNAT President stated, “It is important to mention that the theme of CPS Summer School is relevant for our situation, not only as teachers but as citizens in our country. It is only a democratic, people-centred government that can offer relevant services to the public and its employees. As such, we also advocate for a democratic government so that we can live a quality life”.
He added, “As such, for insurrectionary seizure of power, we must also grow qualitatively. Otherwise, we will always be on each other’s throats over petty issues. We, the capacitated ones, must always work hard to unite the people”.
While many African countries are working hard to decolonise their education, President Mbongwa pointed out that in Swaziland the situation is worse on that front.
“Swaziland’s education system is still colonised by the ruling Dlamini dynasty, we only learn about the history of only one family, the ruling family, nothing about the people” he showed.
He thus concluded by calling for the building blocks of the future society which the working class continues to fight for, where the means of production will be democratically owned by the working class for the benefit of all.
“We need to stand up as teachers and workers so that we get to a situation where the working class decides how to spend its produce. It is us the working class who should control the means of production and not a tiny minority as things stand. Power must go to the working class which is exploited today,” he concluded.
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