A widespread digital service outage in the Eswatini government has caused frustration among civil servants, with some unable to access loans from financial institutions. The outage affects the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) platform, which lenders rely on to verify salary deductions and approve loans. Civil servants who had applied for loans said they expected to receive the funds last week but were informed that their applications could not be processed.
Financial institutions confirmed that they had received September instalments from civil servants with existing loans but were experiencing difficulties processing new loan applications. Lenders use the IFMIS platform to assess loan applicants' credit scores and determine whether their existing financial obligations are within the 33% threshold allowed for deductions from their salaries. This process is crucial for approving new loans to civil servants.
The digital outage has affected civil servants who were hoping to benefit from increased borrowing capacity following improvements in their salaries. Some employees had applied for loans, expecting to use the improved salary threshold. However, financial institutions cannot confirm this due to limited access to the government system, making it challenging to process applications.
The ministry of information, communication and technology (ICT) acknowledged the ongoing disruption of several government digital services, including the IFMIS platform. In a recent media release, the ministry stated that several government web-based services and digital platforms were experiencing outages, causing inconvenience and disruption to citizens, businesses, and other users.
The ministry of ICT assured the nation that a team of technical experts had been engaged to investigate the outages and establish the circumstances surrounding the disruptions. The team is assessing the affected systems and will provide technical findings and recommendations to guide the restoration of services and any necessary corrective measures.
The affected platforms include the government website, the e-Visa application, the Deeds Registration and Information Management System, the ministry of public service’s Performance Management System (PMS), and selected services available through the Government in Your Hand application. The ministry remains focused on restoring the affected services and ensuring that government digital platforms remain reliable, secure, and accessible to the public.
Civil servants affected by the loan processing delay hope that the problem will be resolved soon, allowing financial institutions to resume processing their applications. The delay comes at a time when employees were expecting to benefit from improved salaries and increased borrowing capacity. The ministry's efforts to resolve the issue are awaited by those affected.
Key points
- The government digital outage in Eswatini has affected the IFMIS platform, causing delays in loan processing for civil servants.
- Financial institutions rely on the IFMIS platform to verify salary deductions and approve loans to civil servants.
- The ministry of ICT has engaged technical experts to investigate the outages and restore the affected services.
