Africa-Press – Eswatini. When I think of dawn, I think of renewal. That quiet but powerful moment when darkness lifts, and light begins to reveal new possibilities. It is in that spirit of renewal, the essence of hope, clarity, and progress, that I am deeply honoured to introduce Likhweti: The Dawn of a New Social Security, a new educational series from the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF).
Every Tuesday, Likhweti will be published across leading media platforms to guide emaSwati through one of the most significant transformations in our nation’s history; the conversion of the Provident Fund into a National Pension Scheme.
Why we chose the name ‘Likhweti’
In siSwati, Likhweti means the morning star. It symbolises light, guidance, and the promise of a new beginning after a long night. That is exactly what this series represents. A new dawn in Eswatini’s social security space, one that brings renewed hope and dignity to all our people.
For over five decades, the ENPF has faithfully served as the cornerstone of retirement savings for thousands of workers. But the world is changing, and with it, the needs of our people. The old model, which is a single lump-sum payout at retirement, is no longer sufficient in a modern economy where longevity, inflation, and cost of living continuously rise.
Through Likhweti, we will explain how this reform; the shift from a Provident Fund to a National Pension Fund, will secure a lifelong, predictable income for every economically active liSwati, ensuring that no one faces retirement in uncertainty. This is not just about finance; it is about dignity, inclusion, and empowerment.
Introducing Miccah Nkabinde, our Conversion Specialist and the Voice behind Likhweti
To lead this national conversation, we have chosen one of Eswatini’s foremost experts in social security transformation, Mr Miccah Nkabinde.
Nkabinde is not only an authority in his field but also a trusted voice of experience. With over 30 years of service in the financial and pension administration sector, including 26 years as ENPF’s General Manager for Operations, he brings both technical depth and human understanding to this important dialogue.
Today, Nkabinde serves as our Conversion Specialist, spearheading the drafting and stakeholder consultations for the Eswatini National Pension Fund Bill, 2025.
A holder of a Master of Science in Leadership and Change and an internationally certified expert in Managing Social Security and Pensions (University of Witwatersrand), Nkabinde brings both global perspective and local passion to the series. His training with the Singapore Central Provident Fund Board and continuous professional development through the International Social Security Association (ISSA) and ILO Turin Centre further position him as one of the region’s leading authorities in pension reform.
Nkabinde combines technical depth with human insight. He understands the numbers, but he also understands people. He is uniquely positioned to guide emaSwati through this transformation with empathy and expertise.
Beyond his professional life, Nkabinde is a committed Christian and family man, married with four children. In his personal time, he enjoys reading and is a keen follower of sports, particularly soccer. He is an avid farmer and has a strong passion for livestock rearing. This combination of high-level management, legislative expertise, and advanced technical certification positions him as one of the leading authorities in social security reform within the region.
An Interactive and Engaging Journey
One of the features I am most excited about is that Likhweti will be interactive. We want this series to be a conversation, not a lecture.
Readers will have the opportunity to send in their questions, feedback, and personal reflections on the reform. We will respond to some of these in future editions, creating a space where everyone can participate and feel heard.
In addition, we will be running competitions and quizzes around the topic of the National Pension Fund conversion, with exciting prizes for readers who demonstrate a strong understanding of the key issues. It’s our way of making learning both engaging and rewarding.
Social security is not just about policies, it’s about people. It’s about ensuring that every liSwati, whether formally employed or in the informal economy, can look forward to retirement with peace of mind.
The conversion to a National Pension Fund is not simply a technical or legislative exercise. It is a new social contract, one that redefines how we, as a nation, care for our workers, our parents, and our future selves.
This transition will bring Eswatini in line with international best practice, ensuring that every worker enjoys the protection of a Defined Benefit pension, with guarantees for old age, disability, and survivors’ benefits.
It is about fairness. It is about inclusion. And it is about restoring confidence and dignity in the idea of national security, not only in the economic sense, but in the human sense too.
A Call to Every liSwati
I invite you, our members, employers, partners, and the broader public, to walk with us on this journey. Follow Likhweti every Tuesday. Engage with the content. Ask questions. Discuss it with your families and colleagues. This reform affects every one of us, and understanding it is the first step towards making it work for all.
This is the dawn of a new social security era; one that promises light after darkness, stability after uncertainty, and hope where there was once doubt.
As Likhweti, the morning star, rises each week, may it remind us that the future of Eswatini’s social protection system is bright, and that together, we are building a nation where every worker can retire with dignity, confidence, and security.
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