Home | News | OVER E4.7M PER MONTH SALARIES TO EMABANDLA

OVER E4.7M PER MONTH SALARIES TO EMABANDLA

13/04/2024 08:55:00 Sifiso Dlamini

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MBABANE – It will cost the taxpayer over E4.7 million a month as payment for members of the different advisory councils’ salaries.

This excludes the various allowances paid to each office bearer, which could raise the figure to over E5 million a month. This is according to a legal notice titled The Prescription of Statutory and Allowances of Emabandla, Commissions and Boards Notice, 2024. The notice was issued by Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg and is said to have come into effect on April 8, 2024.

Calculations based on the basic salaries alone, revealed that each month or the next five years, the taxpayer will folk out E4 791 007 in payment of emabandla salaries. The salaries of Liqoqo alone, which has 23 members including the chairperson will cost the taxpayer E1 196 686 on basic salary, excluding allowances. Ludzidzini Council which has 17 members including the chairperson, will cost the taxpayer E890 062 monthly on salaries. Meanwhile the payment of salaries for the Border Restoration Committee, which has 14 members will cost the taxpayer E728 233 monthly.

Advisory

Other advisory councils include the Royal Board of Trustees, which has around seven members, to be paid E357 728 a month. The rest of the advisory councils include the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), Civil Service Commission (CSC), Teaching Service Commission (TSC), Citizenship Board, Land Management Board (LMB) and the Minerals Management Board (NNB), which will cost the taxpayer between E289 590 and E264 038.

According to the gazette, the highest earning chairpersons being Liqoqo, Elections Boundaries Commission (EBC) and Ludzidzini Council, will earn a total of E1 258 920 per annum including allowances. The chairpersons of the above mentioned emabandla will earn a monthly basic salary of E72 315, which is equivalent to E868 783 annually. Previously, the chairpersons of the aforementioned emabandla were entitled to a basic salary of E65 518 per month, equivalent to E786 231 annually.

There are high expectations that His Majesty King Mswati III will announce the appointment of members of different traditional advisory councils and commissions (emabandla). The expectations are motivated by the fact that it was around this time five years ago that new appointments were announced. Already, there are debates in various quarters on individuals who are likely to be appointed.

Re-appointed

There are also feelings that a high percentage of the current members stand a chance of being re-appointed and that new ones will be added to fill up positions left vacant after members were assigned new duties. It should be noted that some of the commissions have vacant posts, following that members appointed Parliament position while others passed away. It was on April 11, 2019, five months after Cabinet had been appointed, that the announcement for members of emabandla was made.

The announcement was made by Attorney General Sifiso Mashampu Khumalo at the Lozitha Royal Palace. Having been appointed in April 2019 and with the term of office for the members of the various councils expected to be five years, the expectation is that the end of their time could be announced within the next coming days. It must be said, however, that there is no specific law that stipulates a date on which the King must appoint or dissolve emabandla, but it has been a tradition over the past years that a new Parliament worked with newly-appointed members of the traditional councils and committees (emabandla ekweluleka).

Already, a new Parliament has been in office for about five months, following the general elections, which were completed in September last year. Following the elections and appointments of several individuals into different political positions, many had high expectations that the advisory councils and committees would follow suit, before the Incwala Ceremony. However, by December last year, the outgoing members were still in office.

Allowances

Based on the gazette, the chairperson of Liqoqo, Ludzidzini Council and the EBC, basic salaries have increased by 9.5 per cent, while some allowances they were not previously entitled to, such as housing, entertainment allowances have been included as their benefits in the recently published gazette. Meanwhile, their understudies, being secretary and deputy commissioners have received a salary increment of 3.8 per cent, while all office bearers are entitled to medical aid at 67 per cent of premium by employer and 33 per cent by member.

Of note, the contentious sitting allowances for salaried emabandla, have been removed from their benefits as per the gazette. The gazette provides that a salaried member of libandla, statutory Board or commission shall not be paid a sitting allowance as an additional allowance to the remuneration of the member. Another benefit that has been included in the gazette is that of 24-hour security for the chairperson, which was previously not included as a benefit.

The gazette also provides that a chairperson of a Category A Category B salaried libandla, statutory board or commission shall be provided with an official government vehicle and shall not be entitled to a commuted car allowance as has been in the past. According to the gazette dated April 8, 2024, titled The Prescription of Statutory Salaries and Allowances of Emabandla, Commissions and Boards Notice, 2024, the chairperson of Liqoqo, EBC and Ludzidzini Council, will now receive a monthly housing allowance of E18 099, amounting to E217 196 annually.

Other benefits included in the new salary structure that were not part of the package in the past are a monthly entertainment allowance of E7 240 (E86 878 annually), monthly utilities benefits amounting to E2 172 (E26 063 annually).

Amounting

Meanwhile, the communications allowances for the chairpersons has been retained at E5000 per month amounting to E60 000 annually while the sitting allowance of E400 per sitting has been removed from their benefits. Other benefits include a Members of Parliament and Designated Office Bearers Pension Fund (MOPADO) scheme employer of 30 per cent, one housekeeper, one guard one driver as well as 24 hour security.

Meanwhile, Liqoqo Secretary, Ludzidzini Council Secretary and the EBC Deputy Commissioner will earn a monthly salary of E51 104 amounting to E613 258 annually. They will also be entitled to similar benefits such as housing allowance, communication allowance, utilities and a responsibility monthly allowance of E5 110 per month amounting to E61 326 annually.

According to the gazette, only the secretaries of Liqoqo and Ludzidzini Council shall be entitled to a responsibility allowance as specified in the schedule. Of note, Liqoqo member is entitled to the same benefits as the secretary that includes an equivalent salary, as well as other benefits. Royal Board of Trustees members are entitled to a monthly salary of E51 104 amounting to E613 258 annually. The Border Restoration Committee chairperson is entitled to a monthly salary of E63 881 equivalent to an annual salary of E766 572.

Utilities

The chairperson is also entitled to a housing allowance, commuted car allowance entertainment allowance, communication allowance utilities as well as one housekeeper, one gardener and one driver. On the other hand, Minerals Management Board (MMB) Chairperson shall be entitled to a basic monthly salary of E63 881 equivalent to E766 572 annually. The Civil Service Commission (CSC) chairperson shall be entitled to a monthly salary equivalent to that of the MMB chairperson.

The Teaching Service Commission (TSC) chairperson Citizenship Board Chair and the Land Management Board (LMB) chairpersons shall be entitled to a monthly salary of E59 622, which is equivalent to an annual salary of E715 468. They are also entitled to the same benefits as the other libandla, statutory Board or commission chairperson albeit at lower rates.

Meanwhile, a member of a salaried libandla, statutory Board or commission shall not be provided with an official government vehicle but instead shall qualify to participate in the guaranteed vehicle loan scheme, which government has with a financial institution for the purpose of securing a loan for the purchase of a private motor vehicle.

Purchase

A loan for the purchase of a motor vehicle shall not exceed the actual cost of the motor vehicle intended to be purchased by a member. Further the chairperson of a salaried libandla, statutory Board or commission and the deputy chairperson of the EBC shall be allegeable to secure a loan for the purchase of a private motor vehicle.
The aforementioned provision shall apply in consideration of the amount of the loan for the purchase of a private motor vehicle by a chairperson, of a Category A or Category B salaried libandla, statutory Board or commission and then EBC deputy.

An office bearer who is allegeable to secure a loan in accordance with the above provisions shall not be entitled to a motor vehicle allowance to meet running costs of a private motor vehicle. Pertaining to the motor vehicle allowance, the gazette provides that the purpose of the allowance shall be to reimburse the office bearer of a salaried libandla, statutory Board or commission for the capital outlay in respect of the acquisition of a private motor vehicle which includes the running, maintenance and insurance costs. An office bearer who is entitled to a motor vehicle allowance shall produce proof of ownership of the vehicle for the purpose of claiming a motor vehicle allowance.

Standard

Where a motor vehicle is purchased below the standard value, a motor vehicle allowance shall be reduced to that allowance equivalent to the vehicle purchased by the office bearer. The gazette further provides that the government motor vehicles assigned to an office bearer shall remain government’s asset at all times. An office bearer shall have the duty of care to ensure that a motor vehicle assigned to them is used in line with the approved government policies, guidelines and Stores Regulation, 1975 or its successor.

The General Transport Manager (GTM) of the Central Transport Organisation under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport shall be responsible for the monitoring of the use of the motor vehicles assigned to the office bearers.
The GTM shall prepare a monthly report on the use of the motor vehicles assigned to the office bearers and submit the monthly report to the King’s Office or the relevant line ministry of the libandla, statutory Board or commission.
The monthly report prepared by the GTM shall consist information on the use, mileage, fueling and maintenance of the motor vehicles assigned to the office bearers.