An employee of the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) who had been on suspension in connection to fraud charges has passed away. The employee, who had been working under the Bursary Department, had been on ice for about a year after it was suspected that he allegedly colluded with students to commit fraud.
Sources said he passed away in September. It had been previously reported that five UNESWA students had been reported to the Royal Eswatini Police Service for fraud.
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They were suspected to be part of many who had allegedly defrauded the university E35 500 through presenting fake proof of payments to the student finance department, purporting that they had paid tuition fees.
The offence, according to sources, was committed in September last year.
This was before September 30, which had been set as registration deadline for students.
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The deadline was about a month after commencement of the university’s 2024/25 academic semester in August.
At the time, the university had issued a notice that students with outstanding balances were supposed to settle them before paying at least 40% of the new semester’s tuition fees. Students were advised that they would be able to register for the current semester only after they had paid all these monies.
This frustrated some, particularly self-sponsored students, as they cited lack of funds. In an effort to sway the university’s decision, they requested for an extension of the registration deadline.
Meanwhile, some students reportedly opted for the easy way out and turned to criminal activities where they sought forged statements.
Sources claimed that some of these students managed to register for the semester using the fraudulent means. On September 27, the university issued a memo stating that it had been noted that some students produced fraudulent bank statements for purposes of being cleared for registration.
UNESWA acting registrar Richard Masuku could not be reached for comment as his phone rang unanswered last Friday.
Efforts to get a comment on the deceased employee from the university’s Internal Auditor Sandile Dlamini and Vice-Chancellor Professor Justice Thwala also proved futile as they referred questions to Masuku. They said the acting registrar was the rightful person to comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, acting Chief Police Information and Communications Officer, Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni said the police were still investigating the fraud case that was reported by the university last November.
The UNESWA Task Team, in its final report on the findings of its investigation into the affairs of the institution, noted that the university had been affected by cases of fraud and mismanagement that had gone unresolved. This lack of action against fraud, according to the report, further undermined financial discipline within the institution.
“UNESWA’s financial management practices are marred by chronic inefficiencies, weak controls, and unresolved audit findings.
Funds are frequently misallocated, and cases of fraud and financial indiscipline go unaddressed, undermining stakeholder trust,” reads the report.
One of the recommendations that were made by the task team to address the fraud issue was to introduce and strictly enforce a zero-tolerance anti-fraud policy alongside whistle-blower protections.
“Establish an independent ethics and compliance office to investigate all fraud allegations. Launch a university-wide awareness campaign about the consequences of financial misconduct and the mechanisms for reporting it,” reads the report, adding that this would deter fraud and corruption, and foster a culture of integrity and ensure adherence to financial best practices.
The task team further noted that there were UNESWA employees who are currently on suspension with full pay for certain acts of misconduct and have been on suspension for the past three years.
“Engage an independent forensic audit firm to investigate financial mismanagement, focusing on irregular expenditures, fraud, and non-compliance with statutory obligations.
“Conduct a thorough audit covering payroll processes and procurement,” recommended the task team.
It further stated that the financial reforms recommended for UNESWA were meant to address the immediate and critical financial challenges at the university.
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