Hhohho Regional Member of Parliament Tanele Magagula told the August House this past week that claims by Prime Minister Russell Dlamini that a cabal exists in the country whose influence extends to Parliament are true.
In remarks that drew attention across the chamber and beyond, Magagula made it known that she agreed with the PM’s claim that a powerful network operated behind the scenes in national affairs, alleging she had also felt the effects of such forces.
To make her point, she pointed to the continuing controversies surrounding the Eswatini Medical Christian University (EMCU) as an example, urging legislators to serve with integrity and guard against the spread of misleading narratives for their own benefit.
Today, the Sunday Observer can reveal that the university has spent over E1.3 million on MPs and a senior government official over the past four months, according to financial records leaked to this newspaper.
The expenditure, which has occurred between November 2025 and February 2026, relates primarily to two trips involving legislators — one to Cape Town and another to Badplaas.
The documents indicate that 16 Members of Parliament and one senior government official were beneficiaries of the travel arrangements, which included flights, accommodation, transport, allowances and other logistical costs paid by the university.
The most widely publicised of the trips was a four-day visit to Cape Town between November 9 and 12, 2025, which was officially framed as a team-building exercise between members of Parliament’s Education Portfolio Committee and the EMCU Council.
At the time, the trip drew attention because several of the MPs who participated were also members of the parliamentary special committee mandated to investigate the university.
That committee had been established following a motion in Parliament calling for a probe into allegations of corruption, financial malpractice and governance failures at EMCU.
The financial records reviewed by this newspaper show that the Cape Town trip involved substantial expenditure across several categories.
According to the documents, hotel accommodation alone cost E400 740, while shuttle services amounted to E212 500.
The university also spent E58 560 on flight tickets for the delegation travelling from the kingdom to South Africa.
Allowances paid to participants constituted the largest portion of the Cape Town-related expenses, with E526 500 disbursed to those who attended the trip.
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The allowance structure shows that two MPs, both senior legislators based on their longer tenure in Parliament, each received E27 000, while the remaining MPs received E18 000 each. The financial documents do not specify the criteria used to determine the allowance scale.
The documents also show that a second trip took place at Badplaas in Mpumalanga.
That outing cost the university E1 331 010, according to the financial records reviewed.
Combined with other travel-related payments, the expenditure associated with the two trips and related logistics brings the total amount spent over the four-month period to more than E1.3 million.
As with the Cape Town trip, the Badplaas excursion included MPs, though the available records do not provide a detailed breakdown of each participant’s role.
The purpose of the Badplaas trip is not described in detail in the financial documents, but the spending categories appear to cover accommodation, transport and allowances for the delegation.
The special committee tasked with examining the institution was instructed to look into several issues, including the suspension and alleged misuse of the provident fund, the irregular acquisition and registration of vehicles, and preferential financial incentives reportedly granted to certain staff members and students.
The committee was also asked to evaluate the university’s internal control systems and to investigate possible conflicts of interest involving Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo, Principal Secretary Naniki Mnisi, and the institution’s bursar Alex Ngwenya.
Because some of the MPs who travelled on the trips were also members of that investigative committee, questions have previously been raised about the optics of the arrangement.
University Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Yang was among those who expressed concern when the Cape Town trip was first proposed.
In correspondence addressed to the EMCU Council chairperson, Yang warned that the presence of MPs who were actively investigating the university could create the perception of a conflict of interest or undue influence, even if the event had been intended as a routine engagement.
“There is a high possibility that people will accuse this event as a conflict of interest or even bribery due to the ongoing parliamentary investigations for EMCU,” Yang stated in the letter.
The vice-chancellor also questioned the planning of the trip, noting that it appeared to have been organised without formal approval from the university’s senior management or council structures.
He further raised concerns that the event had been scheduled during the first week of the academic calendar, a period typically regarded as critical for university leadership.
Yang previously explained that he had initially objected to EMCU covering the full cost of the Cape Town event.
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According to the vice-chancellor, he only signed documentation related to the trip after being informed that the Ministry of Finance would reimburse the university, on the understanding that the exercise was a government-led initiative.
Principal Secretary Naniki Mnisi, who was part of the Cape Town trip, confirmed previously that the university had borne the costs, but said she had not been involved in organising the event.
At the time, Mnisi indicated she was reluctant to comment further on the matter.
Notably, while MP Magagula cited the ongoing issues at EMCU as one of the examples underpinning cabal concerns, she did not directly link the allegation to the travel arrangements uncovered by this newspaper.
