MBABANE- The additional Central Agencies Allowances of 10 per cent on top of the recently implemented 85 per cent salary adjustment has been suspended.
Civil servants who were set to get the extra 10 per cent allowance are from the ministries of Finance, Public Service and Economic Planning and Development. They form the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC).
The PBC is a key governmental body comprising the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Economic Planning and Development and the Ministry of Public Service. It oversees the formulation, allocation and implementation of the national budget and leads the ‘Budget to the People’ community engagement initiatives.
The committee’s key roles and current activities include ‘Budget to the People’ initiative, which was launched across all four regions and it hosts sessions with local leaders (chiefs, tindvuna tetinkhundla and bucopho) to educate citizens on how resources are allocated and to gather public input.
The PBC is also responsible for ensuring greater transparency and local community involvement in national development priorities and also opens up channels for public and corporate submissions in early January (for the upcoming fiscal year), through which citizens can email feedback.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service Mthunzi Shabangu confirmed the suspension of the allowance. He said: “Yes, this allowance is one of those that could not be paid for now in an effort to ensure due diligence in identifying the relevant positions that are eligible to be paid such an allowance.”
Shabangu said during the implementation stage it was discovered that the salary review report is not concise or explicit on the positions that should be paid from among the members of the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC), considering the fact that this Committee is not gazetted.
On noting this ambiguity and after consultations within the Central Agencies, Shabangu said: “We then reckoned that it would be proper to suspend payment of this allowance for now pending full workforce segmentation to identify the key positions to form permanent members of PBC and, therefore, eligible to be paid this allowance.”
The PS said there are similar other allowances that could not be paid pending completion of appropriate and transparent determination or workforce segmentation on eligibility.
These, he said, include hardship allowance, infectious diseases allowance, among others.
The suspension comes after the Times of Eswatini, a week ago, reported that some civil servants would receive an additional 10 per cent allowance on top of the 85 per cent salary adjustment approved following implementation of recommendations from the Salary Review Report.
However, government has now indicated that the process requires further verification to ensure that only eligible positions receive the benefit.
Shabangu further revealed that the PBC-related allowance was not the only payment affected by the review process.
“There are similar other allowances that could not be paid pending completion of appropriate and transparent determination or workforce segmentation on eligibility,” he said.
He identified hardship allowance and infectious diseases allowance among those that were also affected.
… some civil servants still await new allowances
Some civil servants will have to wait longer for revised allowances despite government implementing a new package of benefits with retrospective effect.
The Ministry of Public Service yesterday announced the implementation of revised and new allowances arising from the 2025 salary review exercise. However, it said several allowances were still under consultation and would only be introduced after a comprehensive segmentation process.
The changes are contained in Establishment Circular No. 2 of 2026, which operationalises a collective agreement reached between Government and Public Sector Unions following negotiations on the salary review.
Most of the revised and new allowances take effect from October 1, 2025, unless a different implementation date is specified. The accountant general has been directed to process arrears where employees become entitled to back payments.
Among the newly-introduced benefits is a Special Needs Teachers’ Allowance of E1 000 per month for teachers permanently employed, or on contract, in positions dedicated to teaching learners with special educational needs.
Government has also introduced a Scuba Diver’s Allowance of E3 000 per dive operation for certified employees who undertake official underwater duties such as search and rescue operations, inspections of submerged infrastructure, environmental monitoring and training support. Eligible employees must perform diving as part of their official responsibilities, hold recognised certification and receive prior written approval from their supervisors.
Several existing allowances have also been revised. The Entertainment Allowance for senior government officials has increased from E150 to E500 per month. It is payable to the Secretary to the Cabinet, principal secretaries, the auditor general, commissioners of police and Correctional Services, and divisional directors.
Members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service, His Majesty’s Correctional Services and the Umbutfo Eswatini Defence Force will also receive higher retention allowances. Depending on rank, officers in the three security services will now receive between 10 and 20 per cent of their basic salary, up from previous rates.
The ministry said the review of allowances formed part of the 2025 salary review exercise and considered factors such as the cost of living, market comparisons and the responsibilities attached to different occupations.
Controlling officers have been instructed to ensure employees meet the prescribed eligibility requirements before authorising payments.
The circular also provides an appeals mechanism for officers dissatisfied with the allocation, amount or non-payment of an allowance. Appeals must be submitted through controlling officers within 30 working days of the circular’s issuance or from the date an officer becomes aware of an anomaly.
Former public officers who left government service after the effective date of the revised allowances but before receiving the adjustments may also apply to receive payments due up to their final day in service.
The circular, signed by Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service Mthunzi Shabangu, states that a separate circular will be issued once consultations on the remaining allowances have been concluded.
