The leadership standoff at Eswatini Medical Aid Fund (EswatiniMed) has taken another twist as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Nokuthula Dlamini has tendered her resignation amid the ongoing boardroom drama at the country’s largest medical aid provider.
Dlamini was appointed acting Principal Officer by the Bheki Maziya led six-man interim board following its suspension of long-serving Principal Officer Peter Simelane in March and three months later, she has formally stepped down from both her acting and substantive CFO roles.
This newspaper has confirmed that she has resigned from her position effective June 30 and is already looking for new opportunities as per the ‘open for work’ label on her LinkedIn account. According to insiders, she tendered her resignation on Thursday, through a letter she addressed to the Principal Officer Peter Simelane, whose own status at the helm remains hotly contested at the Industrial, High and Supreme Courts.
The Sunday Observer understands that Dlamini described the decision as a tough one to make, having greatly valued her time at the institution she joined as an accountant in 2017.
Dlamini rose through the ranks to the position of CFO in February 2023. Prior to her time at the Fund, she had worked as Finance Manager at Ezulwini Private Hospital and spent over five years at KPMG, where she rose from audit trainee to audit supervisor.
“She particularly emphasised that she was proud of the progress made together with the team and the relationships built during her tenure,” disclosed a source, who added that Dlamini was credited with enhancing financial controls, improving budgeting systems and strengthening compliance during her tenure.
EswatiniMed CEO Peter Simelane acknowledged receiving Dlamini’s resignation, but declined to comment.
“Resignations by nature are confidential between employer and employee and I’m only confirming this one because it’s important the public gets factual information amid everything that is happening,” he said briefly.
Although it could not be verified, Dlamini’s resignation has reportedly been accepted by the institution and will now be finalising the exiting process.
Dlamini has been part of the rigmarole boardroom drama at EswatiniMed, filing against the principal officer in their ongoing matter at the Industrial Court, in support of an urgent application filed by the interim board.
The leadership crisis at EswatiniMed came to a head in February when the interim board chaired by Bheki Maziya suspended Simelane over alleged misconduct.
The newly-appointed interim board chairman Bheki Maziya cited governance failures and stakeholder concerns as reasons for the shake-up.
Since then, the boardroom drama has resulted in legal battles both at the High and Industrial Courts.
