Africa-Press – Eswatini. Every so often, a leader emerges whose impact transcends titles, transforming not just institutions but the very essence of leadership itself. Ms Futhi Tembe, the Chief Executive Officer of the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF), is one such leader. Her recent recognition as Strategic Leader of the Year 2025 at the prestigious Eswatini Customer Service Excellence Awards is not merely a personal milestone; it is a national affirmation of her vision, her discipline, and her rare brand of leadership that fuses intellect with integrity.
Appointed in 2024 as the first woman to lead the ENPF, Ms Tembe stepped into a role steeped in responsibility and expectation. She did not just occupy that space; she redefined it. Within a year, the Fund recorded an unprecedented 10 per cent members’ interest for the past year. This is a testament to her strategic foresight and meticulous stewardship. Under her leadership, ENPF’s assets continued to soar from decades of successive astute leadership and stewardship. Today the organisation’s assets are valued at E7 billion. This underscores Ms Tembe’s ability to translate vision into measurable results.
But numbers only tell part of the story. Ms Tembe has reimagined leadership in the public finance space, not as a distant, bureaucratic function, but as a service anchored in purpose and humanity. Through the Lidlelantfongeni Stakeholder Recognition Awards, which she launched recently, she introduced a refreshing culture of financial dignity and accountability. This initiative reflects her belief that leadership should not just manage wealth, but inspire trust.
At a rather tender age, Ms Tembe has grown and matured into one of the most indisputable leaders of our time. Her meteoric rise through the corporate ranks bears eloquent testimony to her grit, intellect, and the sheer temerity to succeed. Being a woman in what is often still perceived as a man’s world has never deterred her. Her calm grace conceals a spine of steel, a strength that reveals itself not in domination, but in determination.
I have known Futhi for many years and once found myself on the opposite side of a spirited professional debate with her. The way she managed that engagement, firm yet measured, assertive yet gracious, was not only admirable but deeply instructive. It revealed a leader who knows that authority does not need volume and that confidence, when grounded in competence, commands its own quiet respect.
Her appointment to the Creative Minds Foundation (CMF) Africa Board recently further confirmed her standing as a visionary voice in the continental leadership arena. It is a platform that now allows her to influence a broader narrative; one where African excellence and female leadership intersect to define the future of enterprise and governance.
What distinguishes Ms Tembe is her balanced blend of strength and humility. She leads with her mind, but she wins people over with her heart. She embodies the ethos of service; a reminder that leadership is not about being in charge but about taking care of those in your charge. In her, we see a modern archetype of leadership. Leadership that is strategic yet empathetic, ambitious yet grounded.
I must also acknowledge the Government, private and public institutions in the country for their progressive recognition of talent, particularly in women who are breaking ceilings and reshaping our nation’s leadership architecture. Across private and public institutions today, we are witnessing a quiet revolution led by capable, dynamic women at the helm of key organisations. This shift is not incidental. It is transformational. And it deserves both recognition and replication.
For the young girls of Eswatini, Ms Tembe’s journey is a masterclass in possibility. She represents what can be achieved when talent meets opportunity, when hard work is met with trust, and when vision is matched by execution. She stands as proof that women need not ask for space. They can create it.
The path to a new era of leadership; one that is inclusive, ethical, and impact-driven, has already begun. It begins with women like Futhi Tembe, whose example lights the way for others to follow.
On behalf of Business Eswatini, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Ms Tembe on being named Strategic Leader of the Year 2025. Her story is not just about success. It is about significance. She has shown us that leadership is not a destination, but a duty. And she continues to remind us all that the true measure of a leader lies not in the size of their title, but in the scope of their influence.
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