Crime

MBABANE – Government efforts to safeguard State assets have suffered a major reputational blow.

This follows revelations that many thefts of government property are not random break‑ins, but rather well‑planned collusion between civil servants and outside accomplices.

Investigations into multiple cases have exposed internal breaches of trust, with insiders reportedly using their access and authority to facilitate theft on behalf of criminals and, in some cases, for personal gain.

In numerous ongoing cases, civil servants were not mere bystanders, but orchestrators of the crimes. Investigators report that insiders sometimes leave windows unlocked, duplicate office keys or position keys in designated spots, enabling burglars to enter government offices and remove property with minimal resistance.

A striking example unfolded at the Ministry of Education and Training, where an internal probe into missing government‑owned laptops revealed a disturbing pattern of insider involvement. The Civil Service Commission (CSC) found that two employees were not merely negligent; they actively enabled the theft of 50 Hewlett‑Packard laptops valued collectively at E324 000, property meant for official use in advancing education services.

In disciplinary proceedings, one of the accused, Assistant Records Officer Mnqobi Mdluli, pleaded guilty and offered a candid account of how the scheme unfolded. According to the CSC record:

“Singadla ngalama laptops kepha ungatjeli muntfu” meaning ‘We can make money  from these laptops, but do not tell anyone’, Mdluli quoted the senior colleague who recruited him into the plot. This astonishing confession, delivered under oath during a hearing before the CSC, was central to the commission’s finding of gross misconduct.

The CSC, which adjudicated the matter in November 2025, described the offence as a serious breach of trust and a violation of both the Public Service Act of 2018 and the Employment Act of 1980. Mdluli was dismissed with immediate effect for the unlawful misappropriation and disposal of government property.

His co‑accused, Typist Valencia Magagula, similarly faced disciplinary action. Despite being granted multiple opportunities to attend her hearing, she repeatedly failed to appear, leading the commission to proceed in absentia.

Evidence presented included testimony from a detective and a judicial officer, confirming that she had assisted Mdluli by leaving office keys accessible and facilitating unauthorised access to government storage areas.

These revelations come as part of a worrying trend highlighted in government audits.

In an auditor general’s report, laptops and other electronic equipment worth nearly E948 459 were recorded missing from a project office in Manzini, raising questions about internal inventory management and the risk of insider exploitation.

This latest action follows a query raised by the auditor general regarding the management and disposition of laptop computers within the ministry.

According to the auditor general’s report, a verification exercise conducted in December 2023 revealed worrying discrepancies.

Of the 586 laptops supplied between December 2021 and September 2023, only 247 had been issued to users, while 88 were recorded as missing and 251 remained idle, representing poor value for money and vulnerabilities that could facilitate theft and misuse.

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Chairman of the Civil Service Commisison Simanga Mamba. The commission found that two employees from the Ministry of Education and Training were not merely negligent, but they actively enabled the theft of 50 Hewlett‑Packard laptops valued collectively at E324 000, property meant for official use in advancing education services. (File pic)