MBABANE – UEDF Army Commander Moses Mashikilisane Fakudze has assured the nation that stricter measures have been put in place to ensure the announced recruitment exercise is fair and transparent.
The Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF) army commander stated this yesterday at UEDF Headquarters in Nokwane.
This follows the speech of the Commander-in-Chief, His Majesty King Mswati III, during this year’s UEDF Army Day, where he commissioned the recruitment of UEDF members.
The first phase of the recruitment exercise will start at Mafutseni Inkhundla on September 20, 2025 and finalise on November 29, 2025 at Mbabane West Inkhundla.
Aspirants are expected to bring their identity (ID) cards with them at each inkhundla with the eligibility age being 18 to 35 years.
The army commander revealed that the exercise would pan out in different stages with the first stage being the constituency recruitment, where candidates will be selected and thereafter followed by the vetting process, which will come after observation of the upcoming national events, followed by the medical check-up to determine whether the recruits will be able to do the job efficiently as well as fingerprints clearance for criminal records and a background check.
During the press briefing at Nokwane, Fakudze was adamant that the process would be corruption-free and further announced the appointment of a committee which will ensure this is done diligently.
The committee, which has been selected to carry out the recruitment exercise includes: Brigadier General Thabo Luhlanga, Brigadier General Sotja Dlamini, Brigadier General Elijah Shabangu, Lieutenant Colonel Dumile Dlamini, Lieutenant Colonel Mthembeni Matsenjwa and Defence Sergeant Major Mfana Dlamini.
He said each member of the committee was cho[1]sen meticulously, as each official had been assessed over the years as they performed their duties within the military and their expertise was trusted.
When this reporter posed a question on the measures the committee and the UEDF would take to ensure that the impending recruitment exercise is fair, corruption-free and transparent, the army commander stated that the committee would be working alongside relevant community members such as community police members to ensure transparency of the process in each inkhundla.
“Most of the exercises will be conducted during the weekends to ensure a clean exercise takes place, as this phase of the recruitment process is mainly physical rather than the other phases of the recruitment process,” said Fakudze.
The army commander added that they trust that the transparency will also be ensured with the assistance of members of the inkhundla council and traditional leaders in the various constituencies.
He said they would further ensure every loophole is addressed such that there will be heavy monitoring resulting in no corner-cutting during the physical exercises by aspiring recruits.
Constituencies “We ask that the communities in the various constituencies work with us to ensure that along the way, there are no chancers who attempt to cheat the system,” assured the army commander.
Colonel Thando Dlamini, the Head of the UEDF Public Relations Office, also added to the army commander’s submission, further emphasising that the army is a professional institution, where there are stringent policies that guide UEDF personnel when carrying out such exercises.
“So whatever happens during the recruitment process, there are departments which are designated to ensure any form of misconduct is alleviated and to deal with any form of delinquency, there are measures in place that will ensure such issues are pruned,” he said.
When questioned by the media on the possibility of opportunists taking advantage of the recruitment exercise, the army commander said it was common for some delinquents to use this opportunity to defraud emaSwati.
“EmaSwati should report such cases instantly to the police, even if UEDF members are implicated. As long as money is involved this is a crime and should be reported as no one is allowed to promise recruitment jobs. The only way to be recruited is through the exercise we will be starting on Saturday,” said Fakudze.
He said everyone will be afforded an opportunity to engage in this exercise and try for recruitment. Fakudze, going back to the initially posed question, stated that if a member of the UEDF is found to be promising jobs for money, they will be dealt with accordingly.
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