GLARING SALARY DOWNGRADES FOR SOME MINISTERS, LEGISLATORS

MBABANE – The recent completion of the composition of Parliament and the announcement of Cabinet ministers has led to some of the members of the two arms of government experiencing downgrades in salaries.

Some of the members held high positions in government parastatals, while others were employed in the private sector. From the parastatals, the most notable one is Prince Lonkhokhelo, who previously held the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF) and is now the Minister of Natural Resources and Energy following his appointment recently. Even though his contract was set to lapse in January next year, the prince earned around E150 000 as the CEO of the ENPF. The CEOs earn a maximum of E150 000 a month, while the less paid earn around E75 000 per month excluding other perks. In terms of the PEU (Public Enterprise Unit) Circular headlined ‘Controls on pay packages of Category A Public Enterprises’, a CEO of the ENPF is entitled to around E150 000 monthly salary.

The circular reflects that the highest-paid CEO in Category A public enterprises Group Five takes home E150 082.58 per month, while the entry point for CEOs in the Group Five category is E110 930.58 per month. Now that he is a Cabinet minister, the prince is entitled to about E72 398.58 and this is by Finance Circular No.2 of 2023, which details the terms and conditions of service of parliamentarians, designated office bearers of the 12th Parliament and the Attorney General (AG).

implementation

The circular states that the driver in the implementation of the salary structure is the civil service; hence the need to ensure that the terms and conditions of service for parliamentarians and designated office bearers are adequate to ensure the recruitment of suitably qualified people into Parliament; they remain fair in comparison to the civil servants; and in line with what the prevailing economic situation and will be sustainable going forward. The circular highlights that the terms and conditions of service for the politicians have been developed at a time when the country was faced with a combination of domestic, regional and global challenges. However, the circular states, that due care has been taken to ensure that the remuneration framework, as developed, recognises that it is important to appoint into political office competent nationals so that the country could benefit from their expertise in pursuit of its development and growth agenda.

It is mentioned that the framework also recognises that a career in politics is a calling and a privilege, therefore, while it is important to pay competitive salaries in recognition of their skills and competencies, it is equally important to balance this against what the country can afford. It should be noted that while in other instances a consideration is made that appointed individuals, who worked in government, are not made worse off by their new responsibility; it does not apply when they were employed in parastatals. The circular stipulates that the salaries of all parliamentarians, designated office bearers and the AG will be linked to those of the Civil Service through the Secretary to Cabinet for the duration of the 12th Parliament.
It is stated that the salary of the Secretary to Cabinet and Head of the Public Service will be used as a base, placing the basic salary of the prime minister (PM) at 50 per cent above that of the Secretary to Cabinet. All other parliamentarians, designated office bearers and the AG, salaries will be determined as a ratio of the PM’s salary.

salary

Another member of the 12th Parliament, who is expected to receive a lesser salary than before is Senator Linda Nxumalo, who held the position of CEO at the Eswatini Tourism Authority (ETA) before being elected by Members of Parliament (MPs) into Senate. With the ETA being a Category A public enterprise Group II, Nxumalo earned about E144 000. Now that he is a senator, she is entitled to around E51 000. It should be noted, however, that her contract was also expected to lapse in the coming months. Appointed MP Prince Lindani is also believed to now earn less than what he received before his appointment by King Mswati III. He previously held the position of Economic Affairs Director at the King’s Office following his appointment by the King in 2020.

Worth mentioning is that the prince, who is a graduate of the military school in the United States of America and Sandhurst Royal Academy and holds a high rank in the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force (UEDF), is also expected to relinquish his position as a member of the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS). In his position as the Economic Affairs Director at the King’s Office, the prince is believed to have been earning more or less E100 000, but now that he is an MP, he is entitled to around E51 000. This publication tried to ascertain from the King’s Office if the prince’s appointment as an MP meant that he would no longer serve in the King’s Office. A response was provided by King’s Office Director of Communications Percy Simelane who said: “Normal procedure is that when a person is appointed to another position from another responsibility, they are paid against the new post. Their replacements inherit their initial salaries. We are not aware of any amendments to this policy.”

confirmed

Meanwhile, Minister of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs Bongani Nzima confirmed last week that the salary he will be paid will be less than what his previous employer paid him. Even though he did not state the amount, he mentioned that he was paid handsomely while based in Amernia before he returned to the country to join politics. He will now earn about E72 398.58, which the Cabinet ministers are entitled to as per the provisions of the circular. It should be noted, however, that besides the salaries, both the ministers and legislators are also entitled to allowances and other perks. The circular provides that the allowances are designed to ensure that the politicians are paid and reimbursed for costs properly incurred in the performance of their duties. For example, the circular stipulates that Cabinet ministers, presiding officers and the AG are eligible for a housing allowance of 25 per cent of their basic salary. The MPs, on the other hand, are eligible for a housing allowance of 10 per cent of their basic salary.

Furthermore, the circular provides that ministers may also be provided with government housing. “These political office bearers may occupy, for official purposes, one government-owned residence. In such instances, they will not be eligible to claim housing allowance,” the circular stipulates. Also, the politicians are entitled to a communication allowance, which is designed to assist them in communicating proactively about their work in furtherance of their parliamentary duties. In operationalising this provision, the government is expected to approach telecommunication service providers for negotiated cellular phone packages on behalf of all political office bearers and the AG. The contract packages come with a handheld device for all political office bearers and they are to be replaced every two and a half years by the service provider.

stipulates

Also included in the remuneration for the politicians is an entertainment allowance, whose purpose is to enable them to pay for refreshments and take clients or potential clients out for refreshments or meals. The circular stipulates that a non-accountable entertainment allowance is payable to parliamentarians, designated office bearers and AG. “Where the parliamentarian or designated office bearer or AG are on official duty out of the country, they will use the corporate card issued by the government and such expenditure will be fully accounted for in terms of the guidelines approved by the government,” the circular stipulates. It will not be the first time that politicians earn less than what they were paid in their previous positions. Former Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku once revealed that he took a pay reduction of about E130 000, when he left the United Nations (UN) to come back into the political arena of the country.

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