Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi has sounded the alarm over what he indicates as entrenched corruption and regulatory failure in the outsourcing of government services, warning that vulnerable Emaswati are paying the price.
At the centre of his concern is the private security sector—an industry he says has become a breeding ground for temporary and underpaid employment due to weak oversight.
“The situation on the ground is not right,” he asserted, noting that responsibility for regulating the security industry lies with the prime minister’s office, not his ministry. Despite this limitation, he stressed the urgent need for reform.
Raising this issue during his ministry’s 2025/26 annual performance debate before the parliamentary portfolio committee in the House of Assembly, Buthelezi painted a troubling picture of an industry plagued by under-regulation, exploitative labour practices, and alleged kickbacks in the awarding process of outsourced services to companies.
The minister criticised government’s procurement practices, particularly the awarding of tenders to the lowest bidders without adequate scrutiny.
He said time after time he has spoken against this tendency urging some officials in the tender board to stop it.
He illustrated, for instance, that if a tendering security company offers to supply 10 security officers for E25 000 a month, it should be obvious that at such a rate this company will not be able to even meet the minimum wage requirements, let alone cover operational costs.
“So how do such companies get these tenders? And somehow such are the ones that seem to strive, they do not comply but win the tenders” he said.
According to Buthelezi, companies that operate informally—some ‘from the boot’ continue to secure contracts across government ministries despite failing to comply with labour standards.
This, he argued, creates a system where ethical businesses are undercut by those willing to exploit workers.
In one of his most striking remarks, the minister alleged that corruption plays a decisive role in some procurement decisions.
He said, “those companies that do not even pay their employees well are often the ones who win tenders because they are the lowest bidders.
“But also, there are officials in the tender board who benefit from the process through kickbacks.”
He further claimed that some government officials now prioritise personal gain over public interest.
“We are the ones causing the abuse of Emaswati through the need to obtain the 10% kickbacks from outsourcing deals,” he said.
Buthelezi further questioned the logic of short-term contracts, arguing that they make it nearly impossible for service providers to operate sustainably without cutting corners.
“You cannot award a six-month contract where companies must also invest in uniforms and equipment. The contract ends before they even recover their costs. But unscrupulous officials behind the tenders do not care about this, as long as they get their 10%.
“They are then ready to award another tendering company that will comply with their illicit deals,” he said.
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Such practices, he suggested, encourage a cycle of exploitation, where workers bear the brunt through low wages and poor working conditions.
The minister noted that with so much outsourcing of services nowadays bakhona labadlako (there are those officials who are gaining illicitly) in the process.
He said anyone calling for the hiring of permanent staff in government to provide services such as security or even cleaning, find themselves at crossroads with officials thriving on the opportunity to abuse Emaswati through demanding kickbacks from outsourcing deals.
Buthelezi said this was not an easy matter, but government needs to put its house in order and have its ministries collaborate against this.
He said the ministry of labour is doing what it can to counter the problem by speaking out in certain forums, but it can only do as much.
“Let us not be part of those who are contributing to the suffering of Emaswati, it is very wrong. But we hope all the bolts will be fastened because this is painful,” he stressed.
Speaking further about the state of the security industry, the minister shared that there is lack of proper regulation in this sect.
He mentioned that some established security firms have long proposed building a training institution for guards in order to professionalise the sector by ensuring that the trained are awarded recognised qualifications.
However, he warned that such efforts would fall short without legal backing.
“Unless a law is introduced requiring formal training before employment, few will see the need to attend such institutions,” he said.
While he acknowledged initiatives by newer companies offering in-house training, he insisted that voluntary compliance is not enough.
“It has to be made law that no one can be hired as security personnel without undergoing proper training,” he emphasised.
