Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) has achieved a significant milestone after becoming the second Southern African Development Community (SADC) company to receive the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) certification.
EEC is the first company in Eswatini to receive the certification and followed Gautrain, a South African company as the second in the SADC region.
SDGs certification is a recognition granted to companies or individuals for demonstrating a commitment to, and integration of the United Nations SDGs into their strategy and operations.
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This was revealed during EECs successful retention of their ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 certifications held at the EEC Integrated Management Systems (IMS) certification handover at the Hilton Garden Inn yesterday.
The SDGs certification was handed over by DQS Group Marketing Executive Musa Myeni and DQS Chief Executive Officer Francois Labuchagne.
DQS Group is a global company that provides auditing and certification services for management systems, helping businesses ensure compliance and build trust through certificates like ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and others. ISO certified means a third party organisation has verified that a company’s processes and products comply with the international standards set by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO).
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During the handover ceremony, Myeni congratulated EEC for the milestone achievement and said the ISO 45001 certification stated that the company implemented and maintained occupational health and safety.
He said the ISO 14001 certification was awarded to companies who observed and did not damage the environment in their operations. Meanwhile, the ISO 9001 certification was granted to an organisation that had implemented a quality management system that met international standards.
EEC Managing Director Ernest Mkhonta said the achievement was far more than a set of certificates as it represented their commitment, teamwork and resilience of every member of EEC and their unwavering drive towards operational excellence, revenue growth, sustainability as well as occupational health and safety.
Mkhonta said their journey towards an integrated management system began in 2014, when EEC first implemented ISO 9001:2015 for quality, ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management and ISO 45001:2018 for occupational health and safety.
“This was a visionary step. At that time, few organisations in our sector had embraced formalised systems, but EEC recognised that structured management would be essential to achieving operational consistency, customer satisfaction and safety performance,” he said.
He mentioned that through collective effort, management and staff worked tirelessly to embed these principles into daily operations subsequently establishing a foundation that has shaped their current success.
Mkhonta added that maintaining the systems presented day to day challenges such as ensuring documentation accuracy, sustaining engagement, and balancing operational pressures with compliance requirements.
“But these challenges remind us that ISO is not a destination; it is a journey of continuous improvement, one that strengthens our organisation and prepares us for future opportunities,” he said.
Addressing the EEC management and staff, Board of Directors Chairman Patrick Myeni said the achievement reflected their dedication, teamwork and professionalism. He commended the management and staff for consistently embracing the ISO principles of quality, environmental stewardship including occupational health and safety and embedded them into their daily operations.
“This milestone reminds us that while the journey of excellence is demanding, it is always worth it because it shapes a better, safer and more sustainable Eswatini,” said Myeni.
Meanwhile, Board member Velile Dlamini said yesterday marked another proud milestone in EEC’s journey of excellence. She said the successful retention of their ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 certifications was not just an institutional achievement, but a clear demonstration of their company’s commitment to quality service, environmental responsibility and the safety of citizens.
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