Service delivery stalled as education ministry officials remain divided
By Zwelethu Dlamini
A toxic power struggle, marked by infighting between top officials, has hamstrung service delivery in Eswatini’s Ministry of Education and Training for the past eight months, a situation that multiple senior officials describe as a “nightmare”.
The bitter rivalry pitting the Principal Secretary (PS) Bheki Gama against the Under Secretary (US) Naniki Mnisi has split the ministry into warring factions, creating a dysfunctional atmosphere where personal vendettas have taken precedence over the education of the nation’s children.
Senior officials within the Ministry of Education and Training describe the past eight months as a nightmare, marked by infighting and power struggles that have severely disrupted service delivery. The discord stems from tensions between the PS and the US, creating factions within the ministry’s headquarters and fostering an environment of hostility and inefficiency.
Ministry insiders reveal that the division has paralysed key operations. Officials allege that during her tenure as acting PS, the US used her position to delay approvals, withhold payments, and sideline perceived enemies. The PS, acknowledging the division, remarked, “Sinhlalunhlalu” (we are divided), while the US countered, stating that the ministry is “not a sane world.”
One of the most concerning consequences of this dysfunction is the impact on students. The Inhlase Centre for Investigative Journalism has established that over 400 students from TVET government institutions, including Gwamile Vocational and Commercial Training Institute Matsapha (VOCTIM) and Emvembili Industrial Training Centre (EITC), remain at home due to the ministry’s failure to procure necessary learning equipment. VOCTIM has been closed for over two weeks while EITC has not yet enrolled over 20 students.
Sources within the ministry blame the hostile work environment and lack of cooperation for this crisis.
At least two formal complaints have been submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office, while a third was drafted for submission to the King. Senior management accuses the US of misusing her powers, including signing documents on behalf of the PS without authorization. One such incident involved an unauthorized recent official trip to Zambia. Additionally, she is accused of redirecting over E20 million from the ministry’s budget without informing the PS or the Financial Controller.
Discontent among staff has led to calls for her transfer or demotion. However, the US denies all allegations, attributing the criticism to jealousy and challenging the PS to charge her with misconduct if any wrongdoing can be proven.
Internal discord has plagued the ministry for over a year. In September 2024, The Times of Eswatini highlighted how leadership instability, financial constraints, and administrative inefficiencies compromised education delivery. A month later, the publication reported an escalation of the power struggle, culminating in the PS allegedly being locked out of his own office.
The situation reached a boiling point in October 2024 when a letter seen by Inhlase titled Inyandzaleyo (cry for help) was penned by ministry staff and senior managers. Addressed to Their Majesties, the letter accused the US of using her position to punish staff and foster division. It further suggested that the minister was reluctant to intervene due to an allegedly suspicious relationship with the US.
By January 2025, additional complaints had reached the Prime Minister’s Office, listing eight specific grievances against the US:
- Failure to endorse minutes approved by the Procurement Committee.
- Favouring certain principals while sidelining others.
- Transferring experienced officers and appointing allies to key positions.
- Withholding approvals for college and TVET principals she disliked.
- Fostering a toxic work environment through gossip and manipulation.
- Being abusive and disrespectful to colleagues.
- Disrespecting senior management.
- Demanding to be appointed as the permanent PS.
Another letter accused the US of interfering with the transport administrator’s work, allegedly causing undue stress that resulted in health complications.
Several ministry officials described instances of public humiliation at the hands of the US. One head of department recounted being shouted at in front of colleagues and Civil Service Commission (CSC) officials. Another senior manager lamented how the US’s tenure as acting PS disrupted routine operations. Strategic Monday meetings were scrapped, key responsibilities were reassigned to junior officers, and financial management roles were altered without proper authorization.
For example, the Chief Tertiary Education Officer was given the responsibilities of the Director of Education, while the Principal Accountant assumed the role of the Financial Controller. The Financial Controller later raised concerns about unauthorized budget reallocations, which the PS admitted he had not sanctioned.
I’m disrespected- US
When approached for comment, the US initially refused, stating:
“Write whatever you like. I do not work in the media. If someone working with me has a problem with my work, they must call me and ask for clarity on how I did certain things. If he does not and simply inform you it means they are disrespecting me,”
“My employer is the Civil Service Commission. Should I have done something wrong there should be a commission of inquiry, you are not counted in the law that you become part of the commission of inquiry. I do not account to you. Go and tell the PS to respond to you, I think he knows a lot,” she said.
She stated that she had been given the questionnaire from this publication and was aware that there was a meeting where the complaints about her were raised.
“I’m giving you a hint that there was a caucus meeting about me where everyone who wanted to say any rubbish about me did. Do you think this ministry is a sane world and where does it put me?, she asked.
She later defended herself, arguing that she merely signed documents submitted by department officials and was unaware if they were improperly prepared. She dismissed the allegations as baseless harassment.
Regarding claims of failing to approve procurement requests, she insisted that she only rejected those that violated government regulations.
“They do not understand procedures. I worked in the Ministry of Public Works and served on their tender board. I know the Procurement Act, and I do not allow wasteful spending,” she stated. The US, however, maintained that the ministry’s officials resist oversight and proper administrative processes.
She said the VOCTIM Principal had delayed submitting the minutes for the procurement of a server and she had to pull strings to get it purchased at the last minute before the treasurer closed purchases. The principal denied this, stating that VOCTIM’s closure was due to a lack of approval for a computerisation system and inadequate transport, with only one vehicle provided to the institution. The principal added that the other reasons included lack of training and learning material that could not be purchased and shortage of staff following that a post for automative lecturer was swapped to SCOT.
The US on the other hand also denied any wrongdoing in reallocating E20 million, arguing that budget adjustments were permissible within government structures.
“Even doing the reallocations was justified as it was to prevent the funds from going back as under expenditure. Did they want me to be called by Parliament to explain why during my time as Acting PS I had not utilised the funds budgeted for the ministry? Reallocation is permissible in government,” she said.
Her explanation was discarded by the head of finance who reported it to the PS as it was not done following the laid down procedure and it was to be authorised by the PS and the head of the department from which the funds were to be taken from together with the financial controller which was in this case overlooked raising questions.
I am aware but my hands are tied – Minister
Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo acknowledged the simmering tensions, confirming the strained relationship between the PS and the US.
“I’m aware that kute kusebentisana kahle (there is no good working relationship) between the two,” he told Inhlase.
However, the minister distanced himself from the matter, saying he has no mechanism to discipline them.
“I’m the political head. I don’t interfere with operational issues. It is not in my scope to do that. I can only advise — and it is up to them to take my advice,” he said.
He added that such administrative conflicts are better handled by the Secretary to Cabinet.
The minister further clarified that since the PS is the controlling officer and oversees all administrative matters, he had no hand in reallocation of ministry funds or procurement decisions.
“Angiphatseki (I’m not involved),” Nxumalo stressed.
“I don’t authorise finances. That’s the responsibility of the PS and the Financial Controller.”
He confirmed that the ministry’s financial controller had written a letter to the PS, informing him that certain reallocations were made or authorised by the US — raising further questions about procedural irregularities and chain-of-command breaches.
The controversy deepened over a recent foreign trip that appeared to have been authorised without the PS’s signature. According to the minister, the minute should never have passed final vetting without the PS’s approval.
“It can’t be that the minute went through all the controls without the PS’s signature. This should have been flagged by the Public Policy Coordination Unit (PPCU) and the Prime Minister’s Office,” he said.
However, internal documents seen by Inhlase show that the minute was signed by the Under Secretary. On one page, she signed as “Acting PS,” and on another she signed “for the PS.” The PS, in a formal response, questioned the legality of this, noting that he was not absent and had been in office since 27 January.
This is not the first time the US, Naniki Mnisi, has faced accusations of controversial conduct in government circles.
In 2021, Mnisi — then Under Secretary in the Ministry of Public Works and Transport — was sued by Oscar Nkambule, former president of the National Allied Public Service Workers Union (NAPSAWU), for defamation and workplace hostility.
According to court documents, Mnisi allegedly told colleagues during a phone call that Nkambule would “never be promoted” so long as she chaired the promotions board. She was also accused of using offensive language implying that Nkambule was “unclean,” “cursed,” and involved in witchcraft. Nkambule further claimed that the remarks alienated him from colleagues, undermining his role as a union leader and damaging his career.
He sought E5 million in damages. Although the court eventually upheld an exception raised by Mnisi’s legal team — dismissing the defamation claim on technical grounds — the case cast a long shadow over her professional reputation.At the Ministry of Education today, Mnisi’s leadership remains controversial. Multiple staff members who spoke to Inhlase under condition of anonymity describe a work environment marred by intimidation, mistrust, and administrative gridlock.
