Let’s stop sugar-coating it – Eswatini’s public wage bill is spiralling out of control, and we’re running out of time and excuses.
For years, this issue has loomed like a silent predator in our fiscal room, quietly devouring a massive chunk of the national budget. But let’s be clear: This is no technicality or minor oversight – it’s a crisis, one we continue to sidestep with dangerous complacency.
Year after year, a disproportionate slice of government spending is funnelled into civil servants’ salaries, allowances and benefits. We’ve normalised the abnormal. And in doing so, we’re fuelling a slow-motion fiscal disaster – one that, if left unchecked, could bankrupt not just the public purse, but the very future of our nation.
Here’s the brutal truth: We are spending more to sustain an oversized public wage bill than we are on building the country. While our roads deteriorate, schools fall apart and hospitals run out of basic medicines; while our unemployed youth wander aimlessly in search of opportunities, billions of Emalangeni are locked up in public sector wages. Infrastructure development, entrepreneurship and essential social services are left to fight for the scraps.
This, in the eyes of some of us isn’t just poor policymaking, it’s a betrayal of the people.
Recent reports reveal that the Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) projects the wage bill to hit E9.288 billion (almost 10 billion!) by the end of the 2025/26 fiscal year – up from E8.6 billion this year. That’s an eight per cent increase. Scary? It should be.
Institutions like the IMF and World Bank have long raised the alarm on this unsustainable trajectory. Even our own national budgets have flagged the risk. But the problem continues, festering beneath layers of political indecision, nepotism, reckless spending and institutional inertia.
Let’s set the record straight: This conversation isn’t about demonising civil servants. Most of them work hard under difficult conditions. But when government revenue is devoured by salaries instead of development, we must admit that something is deeply broken. We must confront the inefficiencies, stop rewarding underperformance and reject the culture of protecting patronage networks.
If we fall into the trap of creating posts to absorb cronies and relatives, that is not governance – it’s sabotage. And if we allow it to continue, we’re all complicit in the slow death of our economy.
The truth is, we’re standing at a fiscal crossroads. For years, Eswatini’s wage bill has been growing faster than its revenue. What was once manageable is now unsustainable. Unless we confront it head-on, we’ll sacrifice the very future we claim to be building.
This isn’t just about numbers. It’s about national priorities and whether our spending reflects the public interest.
If my facts are correct (I stand to be corrected, though),the wage bill now consumes close to 40 per cent of recurrent expenditure and nearly 10 per cent of GDP – one of the highest ratios in the region. This leaves little room for investment in healthcare, education, infrastructure or social protection – areas that touch the lives of ordinary emaSwati daily.
Let’s not be fooled: This is not just an economic dilemma. It’s a moral one.
Every inflated salary drains resources from critical services such as healthcare and education. Every wasted cent is a classroom without desks, a patient turned away and a youth without a chance. When payrolls are prioritised over public services, everyone loses suffers. Is this fair and moral?
The current system rewards survival in the bureaucracy – not performance. We’ve created a comfort zone where mediocrity thrives and innovation dies. Meanwhile, the private sector – the true engine of any thriving economy – is suffocated by red tape, while government spending feeds itself instead of its people.
We must stop confusing wage payments with development. Let’s be blunt: Paying salaries doesn’t grow the economy. Building roads, digitising services, supporting small businesses investing in agriculture – those things do. The most dangerous lie we’re telling ourselves is that we can keep this up. We can’t. Debt is rising. The fiscal space is shrinking. Soon – if not already, we’ll be borrowing just to pay salaries. Wouldn’t that be a shame? And, when creditors come calling, it won’t be the top officials who suffer – it’ll be the everyday citizens – you and me, the taxpayer – crushed by austerity and lost opportunities. Let’s not deceive ourselves: Our children will inherit the consequences of our inaction. If we don’t act now, they’ll rightfully blame us, spit on our graves – not just for being careless, but for being cowardly.
But there is a way forward – if we’re bold enough to take it.
Firstly, government must conduct a full audit of the public workforce. Are all of the +- 45 000 civil servants deserving to be employed? Are they all contributing to the development of the country or are some of them merely enjoying the gravy train at the expense of the hardworking?
Please, don’t get me wrong…This isn’t about scapegoating – it’s about understanding where we’ve gone wrong. Are some departments overstaffed? Are there redundant roles? Are we keeping and paying loafers who clock in and clock out of work early to run their own errands, but get a full pay cheque at the end of the month? We need a clear picture to reform rationally.
Secondly, we must rethink how we reward public workers. Basing salary increases solely on seniority or automatic progression is a recipe for inefficiency. A performance-based structure would encourage accountability and reward excellence.
Thirdly, we need to fast-track the digitisation of government. I applaud the ICT Ministry’s recent efforts to modernise processes – but we must go further. In today’s digital world, bloated bureaucracies are not only outdated, they’re unnecessary. Automating services like payroll, procurement and citizen engagement can both improve delivery and cut costs.
And most importantly, the reform process must be inclusive. Change cannot be imposed from above. Civil servants, unions, civil society – all must be part of the conversation. Transparency will be key. The aim isn’t to slash jobs recklessly but to build a smarter, future-ready public service.
Some will say these reforms are politically risky. And, yes, they are. But, doing nothing is far, far riskier.
An inflated wage bill is not a symbol of fairness – it’s a barrier to development, even for the very people it claims to protect. Let’s not forget the other elephant in the room: Irresponsible public spending. It’s not just salaries bleeding us dry. Lavish, unnecessary international trips by government officials, buying of expensive vehicle fleets; endless workshops in expensive hotels, some national events we can shelve or do without and questionable procurement deals are costing us dearly. The wastage at the top only deepens the frustration at the bottom. We have to be honest and brutal with the truth, singesabi to step on toes. After all, the country belongs to each one of us. If we mess up, we all drown .
Frustration is growing. Resentment is surely brewing. Let’s stop stoking the fires of instability. We can’t afford another June 29, 2021. No!
The people are not blind to kudlabhatiseka kwe mitselo yabo. Youth unemployment is soaring. Cybercrime – such as bo ‘facata’ scams – is gripping the country. Copper theft is on the rise. White collar crime is escalating. The symptoms of systemic failure are becoming harder to ignore and control.
In truth, the wage bill is just one symptom of a deeper illness: The lack of political will to build a lean, efficient and citizen-centred State.
This is not the time for timidity. We need leadership with courage, clarity, and conviction. Do we have leaders bold enough to rise to this challenge? Leaders who are prepared to take hard decisions for the good of the country, irrespective of how unpopular those decisions might be?
We need public servants who understand that their role is to serve – not to self-enrich. And we, the people, must demand better. No more mediocrity. No more excuses. No more pretending.
If we truly want a stronger Eswatini, we must confront the bloated wage bill strangling our economy – and tackle the culture of waste that fuels it.
Each year that meaningful reform is postponed is not just time lost – it’s a theft from Eswatini’s future. With every passing fiscal cycle that avoids tough decisions, we mortgage the well-being of tomorrow’s generation. The unsustainable public wage bill continues to balloon, crowding out much-needed investment in critical areas like healthcare, education, infrastructure and youth employment. It fuels a dangerous debt spiral that threatens our national stability and burdens citizens with a legacy of liabilities they did not choose.
But the consequences are not only economic. At its core, this is a crisis of trust. As service delivery deteriorates and basic needs go unmet, ordinary people increasingly feel abandoned. They begin to suspect, with growing bitterness, that government no longer exists to serve the people – but to protect the privileges of a few. The perception is, the people don’t matter, only the elite do. That perception, whether accurate or not, is corrosive. It undermines social cohesion and frays the fabric of our democracy.
This is not merely a technical issue of fiscal policy. It is a moral reckoning. A government that spends more on itself than on its people is failing in its most fundamental duty.
Granted, real reform is never easy. It demands more than empty rhetoric and cosmetic adjustments. It requires the courage to confront deep-rooted inefficiencies and vested interests that have long benefitted from the status quo. It means standing up to an Eswatini political culture steeped in entitlement, where loyalty is often rewarded over merit and public office is seen as a pathway to personal gain rather than public service. Therein lies the rub.
This moment calls for leadership – true leadership – that prioritises long-term national interests over short-term popularity. It calls for vision, integrity and political will. Not slogans. Not delay tactics. But this responsibility doesn’t rest solely on those in power. Civil society must remain vocal, play their part. Nawe uliphoyisa. We should all be patriots. Trade unions must engage constructively. The academic community must challenge narratives that defend the indefensible and the media must shine a light on what many prefer to keep hidden in the shadows. Reform is not a solo act – it’s a collective mission that demands accountability from all sectors of society.
If the current administration is sincere about its commitment to fiscal discipline, national development and equitable growth, then the time to act is now, not after the next budget cycle. Not after the next election.
Because every delay makes the solution more painful and the longer we hesitate, the steeper and more devastating the fall will be. This is our country. Let’s all play a part in saving it from the doldrums. It is not a secret that some of the problems we face as a country are self inflicted. We are a nation burdened by persistent socio-economic pressures. Reducing the ballooning public sector wage bill is not just a policy decision; it’s a critical step towards achieving long-term economic resilience and shared prosperity.
At the heart of this issue lies a matter of fiscal responsibility. Like many small and developing economies, Eswatini operates within a constrained fiscal space – limited revenues competing with immense and urgent public needs. Yet, year after year, a significant portion of the national budget is consumed by public sector wages, leaving little room for investments in the very sectors that could uplift the country: Education, healthcare, agriculture and infrastructure. By strategically containing wage-related spending, government could unlock much-needed resources to fuel growth where it matters most – among ordinary citizens and underserved communities.
The bottom line is clear: Trimming Eswatini’s wage bill is not an austerity measure – it’s an investment in the nation’s future. It’s about creating fiscal space for growth, investing in people and building institutions that deliver. By embracing tough but necessary reforms, Eswatini can move beyond survival and step into an era defined by stability, opportunity and shared progress. That’s the brutal truth. And now, it’s time to act on it.
Wishing you all a happy weekend and week ahead. Peace! Shalom!
Leave a comment