BY MFANUFIKILE KHATHWANE
Public urged: “Do not pay for free services”
MBABANE– The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has issued a strong warning to the public following a surge in fraudulent activities targeting students and parents seeking government scholarships.
In a public notice released on April 29, Principal Secretary Makhhosini Mndawe made it clear that the Ministry does not charge any fees for scholarship application assistance and is not affiliated with individuals operating outside official offices who demand payment for such services.
“The Ministry provides assistance with the online scholarship application free of charge,” said Mndawe, urging students to seek help directly from Ministry offices or through official communication channels.
The warning comes at a critical time, as Government officially opened scholarship applications for the 2026 academic year on April 22, 2026, targeting students seeking to study at local tertiary institutions and selected institutions within the SADC region.
APPLICATION WINDOW OPEN
The Ministry confirmed that the application process is fully online through the Government Scholarship Portal, with submissions closing on June 30 2026.
The current window applies to local institutions and selected countries within the region, including Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya. South Africa and Namibia are not part of this specific intake.
Applicants are required to be below the age of 35, possess a valid national identity document and birth certificate, and hold a Form 5 certificate or statement of results. In addition, candidates must have an official acceptance letter from a recognised tertiary institution and select programmes aligned with the Government Priority List.
SCAM NETWORKS EXPLOIT DESPERATION
Investigations and reports from 2025 to 2026 reveal a disturbing trend in which scammers demand payments ranging between E5000 and E10 000, falsely promising to “secure” government scholarships.
In one notable case uncovered in March 2025, unsuspecting students particularly those who had not applied or had failed to obtain scholarships were targeted and charged between E6 500 and E7 500 for forged award letters.
These fraudulent documents, including fake Scholarship Award Letters and Agreement Forms, are often designed to closely resemble official government communication, making them difficult to detect.
The Ministry has reportedly been inundated with calls from concerned parents and students, highlighting the scale of the crisis.
FAKE PROMISES REAL CONSEQUENCES
Further investigations have revealed that some scammers claim to have inside connections within the Ministry, pressuring parents into paying bribes to secure opportunities for their children. In many cases, families have resorted to borrowing money from informal lenders, only to discover that the offers were fake.
Alarmingly, the Ministry has acknowledged that isolated cases of internal misconduct have been identified, with implicated individuals referred to the Royal Eswatini Police Service for investigation.
Fraudsters are also exploiting administrative delays in the disbursement of tuition fees, using this gap to make their false promises appear legitimate especially to students facing uncertainty ahead of scholarship interviews.
MINISTRY DRAWS THE LINE
The Ministry has distanced itself from all unauthorized agents and warned the public against engaging with individuals offering paid assistance.
Students requiring help are encouraged to visit Ministry offices, call 2404 2515, or email labourscholarship@gov.sz for official support.
Members of the public are further urged to report any suspicious activities to the Office of the Principal Secretary or the nearest police station.
As the scam crisis deepens, authorities are calling for heightened vigilance, reminding emaSwati that no legitimate government scholarship requires payment at any stage of the application process.
“If you are asked to pay it is a scam,” the Ministry cautioned.
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(Courtesy Pic)
