Times Of Swaziland: NO TO SHELVING PM’S  BENEFITS - GOVERNMENT

NO TO SHELVING PM’S  BENEFITS - GOVERNMENT
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BY THEMBINKOSI MAVIMBELA on 21/08/2018 02:24:00


MBABANE – Shelving Prime Minister (PM) Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini’s benefits
might be more expensive for government in the long run.
This was the gist of Government Spokesperson Percy Simelane’s texted response
about the possibility of government negotiating with the PM to suspend his
package until such a time that the country stabilised financially.
The Times Sunday reported that government bought a E2.1 million car for Chief
Justice Bheki Maphalala and would also buy another one for the premier as part
of his exit package.
Trade unionists raised a concern was that government claimed to be experiencing
a cash flow challenge, as a result it could not offer anything but zero per cent
cost of living adjustment (COLA) to civil servants yet it was able to purchase
expensive cars for a certain few.
Simelane said he was not aware of any move by government to negotiate with the
PM to consider shelving some of his benefits, including the car.
Vehicle
He shared that what he was aware of was that the vehicle would be more
unaffordable in the next four to five years.
He explained that this was because by that time, government would be preparing
to buy another car for the next PM whose term of office would be ending.
“In the name of waiting until we are economically better in 1974, government
shelved the expansion of the Mbabane/Manzini Road estimated at E16 million. A
few years later, estimates jumped to E36 million. At later stage it was E60
million,” Simelane said.