A businesswoman now at the centre of a social media firestorm ignited by a video that allegedly shows her kicking someone that is said to be one of her workers, says she believes she’s the subject of a sinister conspiracy to set her up against civil society.
Busi Mabuza said the video that surfaced on social media platforms last week is 10 years old.
She said it was taken in 2016 in a matter that was long resolved in court.
By posting it on social media as if it is something that has just happened, someone was deliberately inciting public anger against her by creating a false impression that she was a callous, cruel employer who regularly beats her staff.
“That’s just not true,” Busi, who broke her silence for the first time since the public furore broke out on several apparently coordinated social media platforms, said.
“That’s just not me. I can’t recognise that person they are trying to portray,” she told the Eswatini Observer in an exclusive interview.
“They selected a small clip of the last part of the video. I challenge them to publish the entire video so people can see that I was protecting myself against an unprovoked physical and verbal attack.”
Narrating the source of the ordeal that has unleashed an outbreak of social media anger, Busi said she had travelled to Italy in 2016.
When she returned, she went through the business account records.
“I found many disturbing discrepancies. I then instructed the staff responsible to do a proper balance of the daily cash takings because they did not add up. There was a lot of money that had been used for purchases, but the income that should have been there was not there,” she said.
“At face value my calculations, without even going deeper, showed that about E32 000 was missing. The staff member responsible did not have a clear explanation.”
“I then told her, Sisi, I’m not going to put pressure on you. I want you to take your time and balance up,” Busi said, adding that she had an errand to attend to in Malkerns that morning.
She said in response the employee said, “okay Make”.
However, along the way she was allegedly alerted that the staff member who was supposed to balance the books had decided to pack and go.
She said she turned back immediately and arrived just on time to find the employee outside.
Busi said she got out of the car and asked her how she could leave without giving her the report on the instruction for her to balance the books.
She said she addressed her calmly, but what followed took her by surprise.
“She stormed at me and you could see that she had suppressed fury. She started hurling all manner of vulgarities and insults at me. She then charged at me with her fists. Fortunately I was able to block her and pushed her and she fell. Everything happened so quickly,” she said.
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She said the whole thing happened at the car park.
“I had come out of my car as she was trying to get into her car. The video shows only the last part of the incident. It does not show what happened leading to that. So I plead with the person with the video — can they be fair enough to bring out the entire video for the world to see,” she said.
As a result, she feels this was something planned.
She said she thought that the reason people are so angry was because they thought this was something new or that it was happening for the second time.
The public outrage was subsequently reflected by a group of activists who picketed at the lodge last Friday.
“The impression that’s being created is not true. That’s false. It’s false in the truest sense and I feel like there is someone out there who is pushing a deliberate narrative with a mandate on an undisclosed mission,” she said.
She said by the grace of God she hoped the truth would come out soon.
“That’s not me. That’s not me. The character that they are describing is not me. I know who I am. I know the person I am. I know the kind of discipline I give to employees when they have not done right. That’s not me. It will never be me,” she emphasised.
This is hurting all of us, says business owner
“It has hurt me a lot to see this thing on social media,” laments Nkosinathi Dlamini, owner of the Dwaleni Farm Lodge.
“I want to make it clear that this is my business. I established it and started it. Make Mabuza, who is being attacked here, is my wife. I gave her the business to run because of her expertise in the hospitality industry,” he said.
Alluding to the social media storm swirling around their business, he said ordinarily he would not be worried because in any business that involves interactions with people, there will sometimes be issues and differences of opinion.
“Sometimes employer and staff will have differences. But such differences are resolved through normal channels. Where it is a labour dispute, it is reported to the Commissioner of Labour and, if need be, escalated to CMAC so that those issues are discussed and resolved.
“The case at issue that has inflamed emotions was reported to the labour department in 2016 and was dismissed. The complainant subsequently laid charges with the police at Matsapha. The case was tried by Magistrate Lucia Lukhele. When the case was called for the third appearance, we were all surprised to be told that the complainant had withdrawn the case,” he said.
Dlamini said the issue was now resurfacing 10 years later as though it was something new.
“No one is asking us. All we are experiencing is a flood of insults on social media. Progressives have even come to toyi-toyi on the grounds and threaten to close us down,” she said.
He added that his wife was no longer managing the business as she went on study leave in 2024, and since then the day-to-day operations have been handled by his younger son, Sihle.
He said Mabuza only comes to work on special occasions when clients specifically ask for her for décor and catering for weddings, meetings and other special events.
“Nevertheless, on my behalf, I plead for forgiveness with anyone that we may have offended and request in the Christian spirit that anyone who worked here and feels they were given a raw deal should report their case to the Commissioner of Labour so that we can sit down and resolve whatever issue,” he said.
Video launches progressives to toyi-toyi
Six members of progressive political forces led by Nontsetselelo Nkambule of Young Women of Africa and Mpendulo Hlanze, Deputy Chairman of SWALIMO’s Manzini region, as well as proscribed PUDEMO and Swazi Lives Matter activists, picketed outside the Dwaleni Farm Lodge on Thursday.
This followed an outbreak of social media posts accusing some managers of abusing staff.
Dwaleni Farm Lodge manager Msane said they held a staff meeting on Thursday morning to allay concerns.
“We advised them not to concern themselves with the posts as management would handle them. I had a feeling that something would happen,” he said.
Indeed, when picketers arrived later that afternoon between 12pm and 1pm waving placards, staff fled because they were afraid of what might happen.
“We invited them to sit down so that we could talk,” he said.
Msane described Make Busi Mabuza-Dlamini as a very considerate person.
He said staff are provided with food and accommodation.
“What I have noted is that Make regularly asks, ‘gentlemen nidlile yini?’ She buys food and it’s up to us to assign one of us to prepare meals for us.”
Msane dismissed allegations that staff are overworked.
“We operate a two-shift system, with the first shift from 7am to 3pm and the second from 3pm to 10pm, Monday to Thursday. It’s only on Friday and Saturday, if we have bookings for parties and other special occasions, that we have to cater for them. When we anticipate being busy, we hire casual staff.
“Since I have been here, I have observed that Make is not a harsh person. Make will shout when something has gone wrong. When everything is in order, she’s a very nice person.”
