BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – In what might come as good news to the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) stakeholders, salaries of lecturers and other workers of the institution are being paid, as Government has honoured its financial obligations to the tertiary institution.
This development transpired today (Wednesday, November 20, 2024) during a press conference convened by Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo. The press conference took place at the Ministry of Education and Training Conference Room in Mbabane. Also present during the press conference was UNESWA Vice Chancellor (VC) Professor Justice Thwala, Chief Inspector of Tertiary Institutions Dr Buyisile Dladla, Ministry’s Under Secretary Lungelo Nhlengetfwa, among others.
During the press conference, Professor Thwala assured the nation that the institution was going to continue operating as normal, as they had started to pay salaries of their staff members, including lecturers and other staff members. “We have started paying today and those that will not receive their payments today can be assured that by the end of the day tomorrow, their salaries would have been paid,” Thwala said.
Thwala was responding to sentiments said to have been issued by workers of the institution, through the Association of Lecturers, Academic and Administrative Personnel (ALAAP). The workers had stated that they were not going to report for duty, if their salaries were not paid by Tuesday night. This was after UNESWA Acting Registrar Richard Masuku had informed the UNESWA staffers’ salaries would be delayed once again. This was because Government had not paid what it was supposed to pay to the university, according to both Dr Shongwe and Masuku.
The UNESWA VC said the institution retracted the statements said by Masuku when he spoke during the EBIS 1’s morning news programme “Letishisako,” where the UNESWA acting registrar pointed out that the institution did not get the support it was supposed to get from Government. Thwala said Government supported UNESWA in many ways, including the subvention, which Masuku said was sometimes not paid in time. The VC, during the press conference, said they were going to forgive Masuku for the utterances he made during the interview. Thwala also hoped that the nation would forgive him.
During the press conference, Minister Nxumalo said he was sent by Cabinet to state that Government and UNESWA agreed that the UNESWA subvention was to be sent to the institution on quarterly basis. After that, the subvention would be split on a monthly basis. Nxumalo said service providers such as Eswatini Water Services Corporation (EWSC) and Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) were engaged and they made an undertaking that they would be paid in a certain way, which was not explained.
Nxumalo said as of today, UNESWA was not owed. Even today, Nxumalo said there was a certain amount of money that was paid to UNESWA, which was also not stated. Nxumalo said UNESWA was asked to review its cash flow forecast to see if UNESWA would be able to survive until the end of the year.
ALAAP Secretary General Dr Mduduzi Shongwe confirmed that their salaries, as workers of the institution were paid. However, Dr Shongwe said he was not sure if the other financial obligations were honoured by Government to EWSC, EEC, and Swazi Med because by when he made a follow-up by today afternoon, that had not happened. He said the only change that happened was that they were paid their salaries as workers.
