Minister of Information, Communication and Technology Savannah Maziya says she continues to face sustained resistance within government and no longer believes the situation will change for her personally. This is despite what she described as relentless effort and a strong commitment to serving His Majesty King Mswati III and the country.
In a wide-ranging interview this week, Maziya spoke openly about her experience inside Cabinet at a time when claims of disunity within the executive arm of government had become increasingly public.
The minister’s comments come only a few weeks after Minister of Education and Training Owen Nxumalo publicly came to her defence in Parliament, praising her work ethic and urging her to speak out when she feels unsupported. Nxumalo described Maziya as hardworking, intelligent and well connected, arguing that persistent obstacles to her initiatives should not be ignored or quietly endured.
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“If everything she does keeps leading to a dead end, then she must raise her voice where necessary,” Nxumalo told MPs, adding that sustained effort without institutional backing risks undermining both the minister and the portfolio she leads.
Prime Minister Russell Dlamini recently praised Senators for their unity, urging Cabinet and the House of Assembly to adopt the same spirit, remarks that have been interpreted by some as an acknowledgement of internal strain within the executive arm of government.
Against that backdrop, Minister Maziya did not confirm that Cabinet is formally divided. Instead, she painted a picture of isolation, resistance to reform and an environment in which, she said, progressive ideas were too often misunderstood or blocked for reasons she does not fully grasp.
“I am not being listened to and I have come to a realisation that I never will, as long as it is me,” she said.
Maziya attributed part of the challenge to her entry into Cabinet without pre-existing political relationships or networks. As one of the newer ministers, she said she joined an environment where long-standing familiarity already existed among colleagues, leaving her without a clear point of reference for what a cohesive executive should look like.
She said she never expected immediate acceptance or harmony, but acknowledged that the absence of established relationships had, at times, translated into distance rather than healthy debate.
“I didn’t think we were going to be singing ‘Kumbaya’ and people rushing towards me, I’m not naïve, I understood that,” she stated.
Over time, that distance, she suggested, had hardened into a sense of being persistently sidelined. Using a metaphor, she likened her experience to that of a pupil arriving at a school where everyone else already knows one another.
“You’re like the child who came to high school from very far away. You see all the other children together, and you’re there trying to figure out where you fit,” she said.
Over time, she said, that sense of distance hardened into an acceptance that she might always be viewed as an outsider.
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“You get to a point where you realise, ohhh, I’ll always be that child,” she added.
As a result, she said she struggles to determine whether the executive is genuinely fractured or whether her experience reflects her own position within it. Having never served in Cabinet before, she said she lacks a benchmark against which to judge unity or dysfunction.
“I’ve never seen what a united Cabinet looks like, so I don’t know if it’s fractured. I don’t know if there’s a problem. I have no reference,” she answered when questioned about the alleged Cabinet division.
Despite that uncertainty, Maziya was clear that she has encountered consistent resistance to proposals she regards as progressive and necessary. She said she finds it difficult to understand why initiatives intended to strengthen institutions and improve service delivery are sometimes met with reluctance rather than engagement.
Her approach, she explained, is rooted in a belief that the country’s circumstances require collective focus rather than internal competition. She said she entered government convinced that ministers, regardless of background or portfolio, shared a common objective: fulfilling His Majesty’s mandate and building a future that works for younger generations. That assumption, she indicated, has not always been borne out in practice.
Maziya acknowledged that her management style may contribute to friction, describing herself as businesslike and demanding, with high expectations of both individuals and institutions. In her view, government ministers and ministries should not only support one another, but should also function independently enough to reduce pressure on the centre. She conceded that such expectations might be unrealistic in the current environment, but said she has remained consistent in applying them.
“Maybe I’m too business-like. Maybe I expect too much,” she stated.
She said that, based on her experience so far, she does not believe the resistance she faces will ease, even if she remains in office for several more years.
When asked whether that meant she had lost hope that things could improve, she clarified that her pessimism applies to her own circumstances rather than to government as a whole.
“Not for me,” she said, making clear that she has come to accept the limits of what she can change from her position.
Despite that, she made it known that she has no intention of disengaging from her responsibilities. She emphasised that she remained committed to serving with the same intensity, guided by a personal sense of duty rather than external validation.
“For me, public service is anchored in values of honour, consistency and commitment, principles my father taught me are to be applied regardless of whether one’s efforts are recognised or supported,” she stated.
The minister rejected any suggestion that her struggles in the government machinery have affected the ministry. She pointed to what she described as measurable improvements within the ICT ministry, including clean audit outcomes and more accessible reporting to Parliament.
She said she has deliberately pushed for reports that are clear, direct and readable, arguing that overly technical or vague language undermines accountability and fuels suspicion. Under her leadership, she claimed, the emphasis has been on substance rather than presentation.
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Maziya also addressed public assessments of her performance, including media ratings of Cabinet ministers, which had consistently placed her in the middle to lower range. She said she understood why external observers may judge her harshly, particularly when internal delays and constraints were invisible to the public.
However, when asked to assess herself, she rated her performance at nine out of 10, citing effort, commitment and long working hours.
“I definitely believe it’s a solid nine out of 10,” she responded, stating that areas where progress had stalled were largely the result of factors beyond her control, rather than a lack of will or diligence.
She insisted that her self-assessment is not based on outcomes alone, but on the intensity and consistency of her work, making it known that there is scarcely an hour when she is not engaged in ministry business.
“I work almost all hours that God gives us so just because things are outside of my control. In fact most things, I’ve gotten to learn are outside of my control and that’s fine honestly,” she stated.
