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Sir,

It is now clear to all in the country that the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) leadership is ill-equipped to deal with new demands and rapidly changing developments.

Clearly, transformation is a serious challenge facing this institution of higher learning in the country. Management and leadership, as well as the selection and appointment at these levels, affect integrity and sustainability just as much as funding, curriculum content, teaching, learning and research. There are many that was brought to this continent by the colonisers.

If they truly rejected that unwelcome influence, they would be riding on horses, not driving cars. They’d be dressed in animal skins, not designer suits, living in dome-shaped, grass-built houses and many other examples that belong to the pre-colonial era. Then I would admire them for their integrity.

Proved

King Misuzulu, on the other hand, has proved to be an open-minded leader, forward-looking and not trapped in the past. emaSwati who utilise this university; ensuring that outcomes are worth the institution’s investment requires astute leadership within a context of government dysfunction.

In addition to providing people with a route out of poverty, higher education and universities in particular, are seen as pivotal in contributing to research, development and innovation for economic growth and redistribution. They also play a vital role in fostering a democratic culture in society and provide a cadre of administrators for the State; but they can only do this if well managed.

Even the gifts he presented to President Cyril Ramaphosa, a beautiful shield and a spear, were very symbolic as they were traditional Zulu weapons successfully used to win many battles in the past.

The Zulu animal headgear and the animal skin draped over his shoulders were a clear endorsement of the president, and the two cows combined with those gifts spoke volumes. Can we just accept the history that defines our continent and move on?

Cometh Dube

Education systems do not exist in a vacuum, outside of their social context reflects the society in which they are located. In a society that has endured years of corruption, it should come as no surprise that the dysfunction, maladministration and malfeasance present in society is being mimicked in this institution of higher learning. There is justifiable concern about where the higher education sector is heading and how it will undermine confidence in Eswatini’s development trajectory.

Vanessa