Mbabane- Parliament has concluded that governance failures at the two national broadcasters, Eswatini Broadcasting and Information Services (EBIS) and Eswatini TV have become so entrenched that they are now undermining public broadcasting and eroding confidence in the country’s state-owned media institutions.
The damning findings are contained in the report of the House of Assembly Select Committee investigating operational concerns at the two broadcasters, which was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday by committee chairperson, Sandile Nxumalo.
The investigation was triggered by a motion moved by Mtfongwaneni Member of Parliament Nathi Hlophe and seconded by Mafutseni MP Sabelo Mtetwa on September 11, 2025, after persistent allegations of poor labour practices, governance failures, unfair allocation of international assignments, inadequate working tools and deteriorating employee welfare at the two institutions.
After hearing evidence from employees, management, the Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT), the National Public Service and Allied Workers Union (NAPSAWU) and the Eswatini National Association of Journalists (ESNAJ), the committee concluded that the problems extended beyond financial constraints and pointed to deep-seated governance shortcomings.
The committe found that weaknesses in leadership, organisational governance and human resource management had fuelled disparities in promotions and career progression, poor communication between management and staff, organisational fragmentation and declining institutional cohesion.
According to the committee, these governance failures, rather than resource shortages alone, have significantly contributed to declining staff morale and reduced organizational effectiveness.
The findings further concluded that the combined impact of weak governance, poor labour relations, inadequate operational resources and falling employee morale had begun affecting productivity, operational efficiency and the reliability of public broadcasting services, posing a risk to the credibility and long-term sustainability of the two institutions.
Although management attributed many of the operational challenges to budgetary constraints and years of underinvestment, the committee found that financial limitations alone could not explain the deterioration within the institutions.
Instead, it observed that employees consistently associated many of the challenges with poor leadership, weak communication, perceived favouritism and unfair administrative practices, while management itself acknowledged broader institutional difficulties affecting staff welfare and organisational effectiveness.
The committee also formed the view that many of the governance and labour-related problems had not been brought to the attention of ICT Minister Savannah Maziya in a manner that reflected their seriousness, resulting in administrative issues developing into wider governance challenges requiring political intervention.
To restore confidence in the institutions, Parliament recommended that the minister direct the management of both EBIS and Eswatini TV to undertake a comprehensive review of their organizational structures, reporting lines, promotion systems and internal communication mechanisms within six months. The review is expected to strengthen transparency, accountability and staff engagement while preparing the institutions for government’s planned merger of the two broadcasters.
The committee further called for a performance improvement framework to monitor governance, employee welfare and service delivery, with regular progress reports to Parliament.
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