MBABANE – The Eswatini Medical Christian University (EMCU) has dragged its former Executive Director, Samuel Sipho Vilakati, to the High Court, seeking to recover more than E36.3 million allegedly lost through fraud, financial irregularities and misconduct during his tenure at the institution.
In summons filed under Case No. 1473/2026, EMCU claims Vilakati caused the university to suffer losses amounting to E36,313,878.24 between January 2016 and July 2020 while serving as Executive Director.
The university alleges that Vilakati exercised extensive control over its finances, payroll, human resources and student administration, allowing him to carry out unauthorized transactions without adequate oversight.
According to the particulars of claim filed by the university’s attorneys from S.V. Mdladla & Associates, Vilakati assumed the roles of Bursar, Registrar and Accounting Officer despite lacking authority to do so. EMCU contends that the concentration of these responsibilities in one office created an environment in which financial controls were bypassed.
The university alleges that E30,730,615.71 was paid to unknown or unverified beneficiaries without proper supervision or supporting documentation.
EMCU further claims that E775,715 was disbursed through student payments and refunds that cannot be traced to any institutional records.
The court papers also accuse Vilakati of enriching himself through unauthorized payments.
The university alleges that he allocated himself E1,644,001.80 in salary payments and E169,245.36 in acting allowances without approval from either the Board or University Council.
The institution further alleges that cattle worth E56,800 and motor vehicles were purchased without authorization and were never delivered to the university.
Additional allegations include payments to ghost employees, former staff members who were no longer employed by the institution, and individuals linked through suspicious bank accounts. EMCU also claims that payments were made using false or recycled identities and that some funds were directed to people allegedly associated with Vilakati.
The university alleges that money was also paid to companies that later denied receiving the funds, while some lecturers and suppliers were allegedly paid despite there being no valid contracts or proof that services had been rendered.
Before approaching the High Court, EMCU issued a formal letter of demand to Vilakati on April 29, 2026. The university demanded repayment of the full amount, a sworn account of all transactions conducted during his tenure, disclosure of assets allegedly acquired through the funds and the surrender of all records in his possession The matter has also been brought to the attention of the Anti-Corruption Commission, the Royal Eswatini Police Service and the Ministry of Education and Training, all of whom received copies of the university’s complaints.
The summons gives Vilakati ten days from the date of service to notify the court of his intention to defend the matter. He will then be required to file a plea, exception or counterclaim within 21 days.
Should he fail to respond within the prescribed period, EMCU is seeking judgment for the full amount, together with interest and legal costs.
The allegations contained in the court papers have not yet been tested in court, and Vilakati has not yet filed a response to the claims.
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