BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – His Majesty King Mswati III has appointed former Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Themba Masuku as Shiselweni Regional Administrator (RA).
The government learned of this appointment alongside others for regional administrators. The announcement was made by Attorney General (AG) Sifiso Khumalo on March 7, 2025, at his offices in Mbabane.
The appointees also include Princess Tsandzile, who will continue serving as Hhohho RA, Chief Gija, who will continue serving as Manzini RA, and former House of Assembly Speaker Themba Msibi, who will continue holding fort as Lubombo RA.
Additionally, His Majesty the King appointed another former House of Assembly Speaker, Petros Mavimbela, to be chairman of the Land Management Board. This signifies that the king has made five appointments into RAs and Libandla on this day.
The appointments are effective immediately, and the five appointees will serve for a period not exceeding five years. Notably, Princess Tsandzile, Chief Gija, and Msibi have been re-appointed to the positions they previously occupied. Princess Tsandzile and Mavimbela expressed surprise upon being informed about the new developments and found it challenging to comment further. Meanwhile, Chief Gija, Masuku, and Msibi could not be reached for comment as their phones rang unanswered.
Masuku’s appointment comes after serving as DPM from 2018 to 2023, during which time he acted as Prime Minister following the death of former Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini in December 2020. He ceased acting in that position when another former Prime Minister, Cleopas Dlamini, was appointed by the king in July 2021.
Since October 2023, when the 11th Government’s term was concluding, Masuku had not held any position. Before becoming Hhohho RA, Princess Tsandzile served as Minister of Home Affairs during the 10th Parliament (2013 to 2018), while Msibi served as Speaker of the House of Assembly during the same period. Chief Gija was Chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), and Mavimbela served as House of Assembly Speaker during the 11th Parliament (2018 to 2023) after being elected as Member of Parliament for Mhlambanyatsi Constituency.
