Nhlangano- At Zheng Yong Factory in Nhlangano, retirement savings stopped being an item on a payslip and became a conversation between workers and the people managing their money.
That was the point of the Eswatini National Provident Fund’s (ENPF) Catsatsa! Sikuwe roadshow, which took the Fund’s executives into workplaces to answer questions about contributions, benefits and the performance of members’ savings.
Chief Executive Officer Futhi Tembe and her management team moved between workplaces including Zheng Yong Factory, Montigny Investments and FTM, engaging employees directly on issues that can often seem distant from the monthly deductions made from their salaries.
One of the figures put before workers was the 10% members’ interest declared by the Fund for the year ended June 2025. The return followed 8.65% in 2024 and 6.5% in 2023.
Engaging the workers, Tembe sought to put the figure in a broader context, telling members that the return represented money belonging to workers and therefore carried a responsibility for the Fund to manage it carefully.
The conversations were less about presenting a list of ENPF products than about explaining what members could expect from the institution and what the Fund expected from them.
Questions ranged from claims and contributions to Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements and funeral benefits.
Employers also raised concerns around compliance and how information about the Fund could reach workers more effectively.
The discussions come at a significant point for members as ENPF considers moving from its current provident-fund structure to a pension arrangement.
General Manager Operations Vusi Ngcamphalala explained that the proposed model would have implications for how members receive retirement benefits. Rather than relying primarily on a lump-sum payment, the pension arrangement is intended to provide income during retirement.
He also urged members to keep their personal information current, particularly their KYC details.
“Members must take ownership of their information and their savings,” Ngcamphalala noted, stressing that accurate records become important when members need to access Fund services.
The roadshow reflects a wider effort by ENPF to make itself more accessible to members. Alongside workplace visits, the Fund has expanded its digital engagement through #MyENPF, giving members another channel through which to access information.
For employers, the combination of digital services and face-to-face engagement was seen as useful in reaching workers across different workplaces and age groups.
The Fund also used the Nhlangano visit to promote the Imbube Marathon, which returns to Somhlolo National Stadium on October 17. The eighth edition will include the 42.2km marathon, 21.1km half marathon, 10km race and 3.3km fun run.
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