By Musa Mdluli

MBABANE:Owen Nxumalo,the Minister of Education and Training has been exposed using the name of Indlovukazi Queen Ntombi Tfwala in an attempt to force the Eswatini Christian Medical University(EMCU) Board to re-employ eighty(80) year-old former Registrar of the University of  Eswatini(UNESWA) Samuel S. Vilakati as the Executive Director.

This is contained in a leaked audio where the Education Minister was speaking to one of the EMCU Board members, he claimed there’s a royal command directing the EMCU Board to re-employ Vilakati.

“There’s a royal command and the Chairman of the Board must seek an audience with Indlovukazi to confirm,” said the Education Minister in the leaked audio where he was speaking with one of the Board members.

Worth-noting, Samuel S. Vilakati was rejected by the Public Enterprise Unit(PEU) after seeking a contract renewal, he is alleged to have subsequently lobbied royalty through the Queen’s right-hand man Mavovo Mkhonto in an attempt to bounce back as the Executive Director of the State owned institution of higher learning.

But during his time as the Executive Director, millions of public funds allegedly disappeared within Christian University, the new Board that financially rescued the University by introducing proper monitoring financial systems, rejected Vilakati’s attempt to have his contract renewed.

When this publication tried to reach the Education Minister for a comment, his cellphone rang unanswered and efforts to reach S.S Vilakati proved unsuccessful at the time of compiling this report.

On another note, the Education Minister claimed he “has a royal command to convert the Bahai school into a private school”, he maintained that, the EMCU Board Chairman must confirm or verify this with Indlovukazi.

But this Swaziland News is vigorously investigating if indeed there’s a royal command directing the EMCU Board to re-employ Vilakati and if the command was indeed communicated to the Minister, the motive behind it will also form part of the vigorous investigation.

Education Minister Owen Nxumalo recently told Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini that “he is a mere Chairman of Cabinet” adding that, only the King holds power, King Mswati rules with his mother Ntombi Tfwala.