By Bongiwe Dlamini

MANZINI:Mandla Luphondvo, the Chairman of Khuluma Eswatini says, the organization delivered a successful GradConnect and Business Seminar at the Southern African Nazarene University(SANU) which brought together two hundred and thirteen(213) participants, including professionals, University students, representatives from different organizations and entrepreneurs.

Khuluma Eswatini is a brand-building and youth empowerment organization that helps individuals and businesses by providing professional development services, career support, and brand management.

It seeks to offer resources like a mobile app to streamline job searches, career-boosting seminars in partnership with institutions like Southern African Nazerene University and has plans to develop a National Graduate Data Bank for businesses.

The organization also helps businesses with branding, strategy, and media relations.

Speaking to this Swaziland News on Tuesday morning, Luphondvo said, this was the second installment of the Seminar after the first, hosted at Limkokwing University of Creative Technology(LUCT) in June 2025 which attracted one hundred(100) participants. 

The participants braved the consistent downpours and converged at the Southern Africa Nazarene University’s Faculty of Education, lecture theatre, to equip themselves to better navigate their professional path.

But given the corporate social investment mandate of Khuluma Eswatini-supporting the transition of Graduates from tertiary training to industry-the seminar sought to equip participants with job interview skills. 

A mock interview session was conducted under the guidance of experienced human capital executive Gcebile Dlamini, Acting Managing Director of Eswatini Observer Mbongeni Mbingo, and human capital practitioner Nokwanda Ngwenya. 

Tasekhaya Dlamini and Nondumiso Maseko, who are both Bachelor of Science (Agricultural Economics) Graduates from the University of Eswatini(UNESWA), participated in the mock interview, competing for a Business Development role at Khuluma Eswatini, each candidate participated in turn, with the mock interview panel offering insightful feedback to both the individual participants and the audience after each session.

Gcina Lukhele, a Bachelor of Commerce graduate, who is open to roles in finance, accounting, tax and risk, applauded Khuluma for coming up with the mock interview concept.

“Through our LinkedIn page-where Khuluma Eswatini achieves the highest engagement with our network—we gain valuable insights into the needs of recent graduates. These include the pursuit of internships, entry-level positions, graduate traineeships, and the acquisition of skills necessary for navigating job interviews,” stated Luphondvo.

The Khuluma Eswatini Chairman further explained that the seminar was curated with the needs of their target audience in mind.

“That is why the seminar additionally covered entrepreneurship, because not every graduate aspires to be employed. Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Director Mluleki Dlamini from the Ministry of Commerce of Industry and Trade spoke about market opportunities. Eswatini National Agricultural Union’s Chief Executive Officer, Tammy Dlamini, spoke about why it makes sense to start an agri-business early. We also featured a content creation segment, handled by Zindzi Thwala, who additionally spoke about the significance of multiple income streams. And, Duduzile Dlamini spoke about the need for further training,” he said.

Luphondvo thanked all stakeholders, partners, and participants who attended despite bad weather, making the seminar a success for graduates, entrepreneurs, vendors, and professionals. Some of the companies that supported the seminar include OK Foods, MTN Fintech, Southern Africa Nazarene University, Voice of the Church, Enactus, Cert Water, Oracle Group Eswatini, Eswatini Observer, Eswatini TV, Platinum Sounds, Eswatini National Agricultural Union, Birth Media, and SEDCO.

The mock interview component of the seminar was featured on Eswatini Television’s Golden Hour today (Tuesday- 25 November 2025) at 1730 hours.