Textile jobs must improve lives – MP

Kubuta Member of Parliament (MP) Masiphula Mamba has called on the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade to ensure investors entering the country pay textile workers reasonable salaries that improve their standard of living.

Mamba made the remarks during debate on the ministry’s first-quarter performance report for the 2026/2027 financial year. He acknowledged government’s efforts to create jobs but said the focus should not only be on employment figures.

He said many locals employed in the textile sector earned meagre salaries that were below the taxable threshold, leaving workers struggling to meet their financial obligations while also denying government potential tax revenue.

The legislator said most textile workers earned less than E3 000 a month, meaning they do not pay Pay-As-You-Earn (PAYE) tax to the Eswatini Revenue Service.

“What good does it do for a country to have a large number of people employed but they earn peanuts and government does not benefit through collection of tax from their salaries? It should not be about numbers but the social welfare of the citizens,” he said.

Mamba urged the ministry to engage investors before they establish operations in the country and agree on salary levels that would enable workers to earn a decent living.

He said investors should benchmark themselves against companies such as Kellogg’s, which he said was paying competitive salaries while employing people with different qualifications, including university graduates.

“There is a lot the country could benefit if investors can take a leaf from this entity, especially on its salary scale and the diversity among employees,” he said.

The legislator stated that while government had announced that 8 450 jobs were in the pipeline, those opportunities should bring meaningful improvements to the lives of Emaswati.

“On paper, we appreciate the 8 450 jobs that are in the pipeline, but we request opportunities that will be impactful to the lives of the citizens,” he said.

Mamba also referred to the Republic of China (Taiwan) Innovation Industrial Park, saying it should become a model for creating quality jobs rather than repeating the low-wage practices associated with some existing industries.

He further proposed that the ministry establish an evaluation and monitoring department to assess the welfare of employees in industries under its supervision and recommend improvements where necessary.

Meanwhile, Kwaluseni MP Sifiso Shongwe questioned how the Eswatini Investment Promotion Authority (EIPA) vets investors before approving their projects.

He said some textile companies operating in Matsapha frequently changed their names, locations and directors, raising concerns about their long-term commitment to the country.

Shongwe said the practice affected job security, with some firms dismissing workers whenever ownership or management changed.

“These are the same people but one wonders what they are evading because they constantly change directorship and sometimes do a staff overhaul and the employees are greatly affected,” he said.

Responding, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo said government had agreed with investors at the Taiwan Innovation Industrial Park that they would create quality jobs, contribute to the country’s tax base and improve the lives of Emaswati.

He said there was still a need to engage the investors to ensure they complied with what had been agreed.

On textile firms, Khumalo said government was working to diversify investment away from the textile industry, but would continue supporting companies already operating while developing policies to address some of the concerns raised.