MBABANE –The Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF) has cut its target for processing eligible member claims from days to just three hours, in a major shift aimed at making access to benefits faster and more convenient.
This will be easier for clients who have fulfilled the Know Your Customer process.
The new Express Claims service promises eligible members payment into their accounts within three hours, provided all requirements are fulfilled.
The service is currently being piloted for claims of up to E5 000 as the Fund tests and refines the system before considering wider application.
ENPF Chief Executive Officer Futhi Tembe said the initiative represented a new commitment to putting members at the centre of the Fund’s operations.
“Today, we are not simply launching three products. We are launching a new promise to our members. Your time matters. Your convenience matters. Your experience matters,” Tembe said.
The three-hour target represents a significant acceleration from the Fund’s previous processing performance. Government reporting has recorded average claim processing of about 1.60 days against a two-day target.
Tembe said Express Claims was not simply about reducing the waiting period, but about improving members’ experiences at important moments in their lives, including retirement or termination of employment.
“Express Claims is about respecting our members’ time and improving their experience at a moment that matters. We are saying that efficient service should not be an exception. It should be the standard,” she said.
However, Tembe acknowledged that the new service could experience teething problems as the Fund tests the system.
“We recognise there may be teething problems, but we are confident in the Express Claims solution and will continue improving it as we expand the service,” she said.
ENPF General Manager Operations Vusi Ngcamphalala said technology alone would not guarantee the three-hour turnaround.
He said accurate member information, efficient internal processes, teamwork and the ability to resolve problems quickly would be essential to sustaining the commitment.
“Express Claims is changing the way we think about turnaround times. The technology is important, but the real success will come from accurate information, efficient processes, teamwork and our ability to resolve issues quickly so that eligible members receive their benefits when they need them,” Ngcamphalala said.
The Express Claims service was launched alongside two other member-focused initiatives – the Payment Gateway and the ENPF Service Charter – at Happy Valley Hotel in Ezulwini yesterday.
The Payment Gateway allows employers and members to make ENPF contribution payments using debit cards through the ENPF Portal. It also supports voluntary contributions.
Tembe said the initiative was intended to reduce unnecessary travel, waiting and administrative burdens while making saving and compliance more seamless.
The third initiative, the ENPF Service Charter, sets out clear service standards, customer rights, customer responsibilities and a route for redress.
Tembe said the Charter would make the Fund’s service promise visible and measurable, while ensuring that members received consistent service regardless of which ENPF office or employee assisted them.
The three initiatives form part of ENPF’s broader digital transformation journey, which began with the Fund Management System, Reloaded, in 2019.
The Fund subsequently introduced NPF Automation, the Portal and Mobile App, Receipt Automation, the Employer Wallet, online employer registration, KYC and the *003# USSD service.
ENPF said the transformation was aimed at making services more accessible, responsive and customer-centred for its more than 180 000 active members.
In 2025, the Fund disbursed E383 million in member benefits, highlighting the importance of efficient and secure access to members’ money.
Tembe said the ultimate measure of the transformation would be whether members experienced a meaningful difference when dealing with the Fund.
“This is #MyENPF: a Fund that puts its members first. We want to be an institution that our members can trust, access with ease and experience with confidence,” she said.
As ENPF moves to make services faster and more convenient through products such as Express Claims and MyENPF, keeping member information accurate has become increasingly important.
The Fund says Know Your Customer (KYC) verification is a key safeguard in ensuring that the convenience offered by its new digital services does not compromise the security of members’ benefits.
For Express Claims, which is being piloted with claims of up to E5 000, accurate KYC information helps ENPF establish that a claim is being submitted by the legitimate member and that the benefit is paid to the correct person and bank account.
Tembe said speed and security must go hand in hand.
“We want our members to experience faster and more convenient services, but that convenience must be built on secure and accurate information. KYC is therefore not simply a compliance exercise.
