BY MBONO MDLULI
NHLAMBENI – Mhlelisi Gama, Sisana Thandiwe Mncina, and Simphiwe Nkambule are a step closer to becoming soldiers, as they have become victorious in the army (UEDF) recruitment race.
The race, which was conducted by the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF), took place at Nhlambeni Inkhundla centre on Tuesday September 20, 2025. The race began at about 9am, but before that, the aspiring soldiers started by taking instructions on how the recruitment exercise would be done. It was done after a prayer was done, marking the start of the exercise.
UEDF Brigadier General Thabo Luhlanga, who is head of the UEDF Recruitment Committee, is the one who issued instructions. He started by introducing other members of the recruitment committee, before informing the aspiring soldiers on how the recruitment would be done.
Luhlanga informed the hopefuls that they would run a race of 3.2 kilometres, which was the one that would determine the winner. The recruitment exercise candidates were told that this time, there were no other exercises like jack-knife, sit-ups or push-ups.
He mentioned that the race would be the only one determining the winners.
Among the males, Luhlanga said the first two winners would be considered, while the third, up to the sixth best finisher would be registered as reserves.
The reserves will be called only if the two best runners failed the other recruitment stages, such as vetting and medical checks.
Among the females, Luhlanga said only one best females would be considered. The second and third best finishers would be registered as reserves for the same reason as the one mentioned among the males.
Strict measures were put in place to ensure that the aspiring soldiers were from the chiefdoms forming Nhlambeni. Documents such as the identity (ID) cards were used to determine the authenticity of the whole exercise.
In fact, the committee made it clear that an original ID, not a copy or any other document, was needed. Chief codes were also used to determine if people were from the six chiefdoms or not.
After the aspiring soldiers were determined to be of Nhlambeni, they were stamped on their arms to determine that they were the rightful candidates for the exercise.
The recruits started running the race of 3.2 kilometres, which lasted for about 15 minutes. Within that time, winners were determined, together with their reserves. The winners, in order of the race positions achieved, are as follows:
Males
Winners
Mhlelisi Gama
Simphiwe Nkambule
Reserves
Nkhosiyabonga Dlamini
Mthulisi Khoza
Sipho Zwane
Sibonakaliso Sikhondze
Females
Winner
Sisana Thandiwe Mncina
Reserves
Winisile Metiso
Tenele Magongo
The recruits and the reserves are warned to always be available on their phones at all times and they should take care of themselves.
