BY THEMBA ZWANE
SIPHOFANENI— The Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF), Lidlelantfongeni, took its Catsatsa! Sikuwe member-engagement roadshow to Siphofaneni on Friday, 21 August 2026, bringing its services, products and member interaction closer to employees, employers and communities in the Lubombo region.
The Siphofaneni activation formed part of the Fund’s six-month nationwide outreach programme launched in Malkerns in July. The programme aims to make ENPF more accessible, improve member experience, strengthen engagement with employers and give members a direct opportunity to access services, ask questions and provide feedback on issues that matter to them.
The initiative reflects ENPF’s growing emphasis on taking services beyond its offices and meeting members where they live and work, while using these engagements to better understand their needs and continuously improve the quality of service.
In short, Lidlelantfongeni came to Siphofaneni with a simple proposition: members should not always have to come to the Fund; the Fund must also go to them.
The campaign is built around a members-first philosophy, with ENPF emphasising the importance of being present where members are and responding directly to their concerns.
That approach continued as ENPF combined employer visits with direct member engagement and practical assistance on KYC, claims, voluntary savings, pension conversion and digital services.
Employers visited included Tambuti Estates, Phuzumoya Limited, ESWADE and Lomdash Limited.
For ENPF, Catsatsa! Sikuwe is not simply about visibility. It is about listening, solving problems and improving services.
FROM THE OFFICE TO THE COMMUNITY
The Fund’s decision to take services directly into workplaces and communities reflects a broader shift in its approach to customer experience.
Members were assisted with KYC updates, claims, registration, voluntary supplementary savings and digital services. Members were also encouraged to use the *MyENPF App and *003# USSD service to access information and transact without always having to travel to ENPF offices.
The Siphofaneni programme combined education and service with interaction, including product activations, questions and answers, games, prizes and opportunities for members to engage with ENPF representatives.
A STRONGER FUND, A HIGHER STANDARD
The emphasis on people comes as Lidlelantfongeni enters this next phase from a position of measurable institutional strength.
ENPF’s assets grew by 13.2 per cent to E7.14 billion in the 2024/25 financial year, from E6.31 billion the previous year. The Fund also declared 10 per cent members’ interest for the year ended June 2025.
Operationally, ENPF processed 18,451 claims in 2025, while average claims turnaround improved to 1.07 days, compared with 1.8 days in 2023 and 1.14 days in 2024.
However, the Fund views the improved performance as a basis for raising its standards further rather than a reason for complacency.
That philosophy is central to Catsatsa! Sikuwe, which has been positioned as part of ENPF’s transformation from a traditional institution into a more proactive and accessible partner.
PREPARING PEOPLE FOR A CHANGING SOCIAL-SECURITY LANDSCAPE
Another important conversation taking place with members and communities concerns the proposed conversion of ENPF into a national pension scheme.
The proposed legislation is intended to broaden retirement protection and strengthen long-term social protection, including bringing more workers into structured retirement provision. ENPF has been undertaking stakeholder education and preparatory work around the proposed reform.
Taking the conversation to communities is regarded as essential, ensuring that members have an opportunity to understand proposed changes affecting their social security, ask questions and participate in the discussion.
The proposed reform therefore becomes part of a wider conversation about the future: how people save, how they protect their retirement income and how Eswatini builds a stronger social-security system.
THE NUMBERS MATTER, BUT SO DO THE PEOPLE
The Fund’s financial and operational performance provides a strong foundation, but Catsatsa! Sikuwe deliberately shifts attention from institutional statistics to the individual member.
A balance sheet can show assets. A claims report can show turnaround times but only members can tell ENPF what the service feels like. The campaign therefore places continued listening and improvement at the centre of the Fund’s relationship with its members.
LEARNING CAN BE SERIOUS WITHOUT BEING BORING
There was also room for the human side of Catsatsa! Sikuwe. The Siphofaneni programme blended education with entertainment, games and audience participation, including Spin the Wheel, product activations, Q&A sessions and a raffle.
Adding to the atmosphere was comedy duo Gogo and S’lwane, bringing humour and energy to a conversation that can otherwise seem technical or distant. For ENPF, the entertainment serves a purpose: making financial and retirement information approachable.
A SERVANT LEADERSHIP APPROACH
The underlying message of Catsatsa! Sikuwe is therefore bigger than a roadshow. It reflects a particular approach to leadership: go where the people are, listen before responding, understand the problem and improve the service.
That responsibility becomes even more important as ENPF prepares for the next phase of its institutional development. The Fund’s ambition is not simply to become larger.
It is to become more useful, more accessible, more responsive and more trusted. Catsatsa! Sikuwe is one way of making that ambition visible. At Siphofaneni, the message was clear: Lidlelantfongeni is listening. Lidlelantfongeni is coming closer and the future of the Fund is being built with its members, not simply for them.
#Lidlelantfongeni #ENPF #Siphofaneni #RoadShow #Eswatini #BringingServicesCloser
