Mbabane – Two men accused of stealing over E10 million worth of airtime from MTN made their first appearance at the Mbabane Magistrate Court today, where they were remanded in custody.
Zwelihle Khumalo and Ndabenhle Dludlu are facing four counts arising from the alleged theft of E10,257,000. The charges include theft, money laundering, contraventions of the Financing of Terrorism Act, and offences under the Computer Crime and Cybercrime Act. They are being kept in custody until April 23, 2026, pending their committal to the High Court.
It is alleged that the offence involves airtime stock belonging to MTN Eswatini, valued at over E10 million, which was siphoned over a period from January 2024 to January 2025. The loss was discovered by a senior financial operations manager, triggering an internal investigation.
According to information presented in court, the accused were employed by one of MTN’s service providers and had access to airtime stock, which they were responsible for distributing to various outlets. It is alleged that they diverted part of the stock and ran a parallel operation, selling the airtime to selected distributors for their own benefit.
The irregularities were detected through the company’s internal control systems, after which the matter was reported to the police, leading to the arrest of the two suspects.
MTN Eswatini has condemned the incident, stating that it does not tolerate fraud, theft or cyber-related offences, and confirmed that it is cooperating with law enforcement authorities.
The matter is expected to proceed to the High Court once the committal process is complete.
Discussion about this post