The E52 million Matsapha Healthcare Risk Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility has been handed over to the Ministry of Health and Matsapha Town Council and is ready to receive healthcare waste from facilities across Eswatini.
Testing completed before handover
The facility was formally handed over by the National Emergency Response Council on HIV and AIDS (NERCHA) after completion of the incinerator’s final commissioning and performance testing. Macrotec completed the testing on October 30, 2026, and a Site Completion Certificate was subsequently issued. The plant had been commissioned by Prime Minister Russell Dlamini in March 2026, but the later testing and certification marked the step from an installed asset to an operational facility. NERCHA said the equipment was fully operational and ready for immediate use.
Handover completes the delivery phase
The project illustrates an important stage in public procurement: physical delivery is followed by inspection, commissioning, performance testing, training and formal acceptance. Here, a pre-handover inspection was completed and operators were trained on the V500 Dry Plant on October 30. The reported handover transferred the facility to the Ministry of Health and Matsapha Town Council, while keys and essential authorisation, compliance and operational documents were provided. Those documents include the Permit to Occupy, Fire Safety Certificate, Site Completion Certificate and the incinerator owner’s manual.
Transport is part of the operating model
The facility is intended to receive healthcare risk waste from health facilities across the country, making collection and transport part of the service rather than an issue separate from the treatment plant. Three healthcare waste management trucks have been delivered to the Ministry of Health for that purpose. The handover remarks said operators were already capable of running the plant independently, indicating that training was designed to support operational responsibility after acceptance. The project is therefore moving into a service phase in which waste collection, treatment and disposal must work together.
Joint management now governs continuity
The Ministry of Health and Matsapha Town Council have signed an Operational Agreement providing a framework for joint management, operation and oversight. NERCHA said the investment’s long-term success would depend on collaboration, effective governance, adequate financing and routine maintenance. A three-year Commercial Consumer Licence for petroleum products has been secured and is valid until March 2029, but future operators must finalise fuel supply arrangements with the preferred vendor. NERCHA also highlighted comprehensive insurance and timely replacement of critical equipment as conditions for sustaining the facility.
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| Facility | Matsapha Healthcare Risk Waste Treatment and Disposal Facility |
| Project value | E52 million |
| Testing completed | October 30, 2026 |
| Transport equipment | Three healthcare waste management trucks |
| Operating agreement | Ministry of Health and Matsapha Town Council |
| Fuel licence | Valid until March 2029 |
The facility is now fully operational and ready to receive healthcare waste from health facilities across the country.
WHY IT MATTERS
For public buyers and suppliers, the handover shows that commissioning, performance testing, operator training and operating arrangements are distinct steps in turning a completed healthcare infrastructure project into a functioning public service.
Reported from times.co.sz, 2026-11-04. The Tender Wire is published by Otnox.
