Bus drivers protest fuel prices in Eswatini
Bus drivers in Eswatini's two major cities went on strike Wednesday, blocking highways leading to two major cities in protest at rising fuel costs, a union said.
Drivers of buses and mini-buses blocked the roads leading into Mbabane and Manzini, demanding that government regulators increase fares and salaries.
The official price of petrol jumped nearly six percent last month, to 16.25 lilangeni (1.06 dollars, 0.97 euros) a litre -- the third increase in six months.
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Drivers want government to nearly double the fares they can charge, while also raising their salaries from 1,500 to 4,000 lilangeni per month.
Wonder Mkhonza, spokesman for the Amalgamated Trade Union of Swaziland, said drivers were struggling at a time when King Mswati had decided to purchase two new jets, "ignoring the plight of the poor."
Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is the last absolute monarchy in Africa. Nearly two-thirds of its 1.2 million people live in poverty.MORE FROM ECR
