MBABANE – Government will spend between E20 584.50 and E23 168 on teachers and nurses.
This is detailed in the 444-page Pre-Draft Report on the Salary Review Exercise, which was presented to the Government of Eswatini on Wednesday by the consultants, Emergence Growth and their local partners, Umelusi.
The report, dated September 9, 2025, was received by Mthunzi Shabangu, the Principal Secretary (PS) at the Ministry of Public Service and Chief Negotiator for the Government Negotiations Team (GNT). It was also shared with the Public Sector Unions (PSUs), who represent a fraction of the 44 000 civil servants.
Teachers and nurses, who are long considered underpaid, are projected to receive significant increases. Under the proposed structure, degreed teachers will earn between E20 584.50 and E23 168 per month.
According to the report, the proposed scenarios range between Grade C5 notch 1 and notch 7. On notch 1, which is the entry level for the grade, it is proposed that the annual salaries of teachers and nurses be E247 014, which is equivalent to E20 584.50 per month, while the maximum notch, which is proposed to be 7, will be E23 168 as it will have an annual salary of E278 017.
The salaries shall vary depending on the scenarios government might take.
Nurses are also included in the uplift, bringing long-awaited relief to one of the country’s most overstretched professions. Lower-ranking staff who keep government machinery functioning daily, such as typists, clerks, immigration officers and secretaries, are also set for upward adjustments, with salaries projected to rise as high as E11 000 per month. This represents a considerable improvement for junior workers often left behind in previous adjustments.
These recommendations stem from a review conducted by consultancy firm Umelusi Partners. The firm was hired by government to undertake a comprehensive assessment of public sector remuneration, ensuring alignment with regional benchmarks. The consultant is expected to hand over the final version of the report to both government and Public Sector Unions (PSUs) at 12 noon today. If no major amendments are made in Cabinet, this report will mark a turning point in the lives of civil servants across Eswatini.
According to the consultant, Lesotho was chosen as the primary benchmark for the exercise due to its close economic and salary structure proximity to Eswatini. The Paterson pay-by-grade model was applied to achieve internal balance and fairness across different categories of public service employees. The consultants created three scenarios for the salary increase based on the highest and lowest scale that could be implemented. For this article, the scenario offering low salaries was used, in which the highest-ranking civil servant was to be paid E153 437 per month in scenario 1.
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Some civil servants could earn more than PM, if…
MBABANE – If the proposed civil service salary structure is implemented, the country’s highest-paid civil servant could earn more than the prime minister (PM) monthly.
From October 2025, Secretary to Cabinet Victor Nxumalo could earn between E 93 315.83 and E101 008 per month. Nxumalo currently draws a monthly salary of E79 578.92 through Grade F3 Notch 4.
If implemented, this new structure could make him the highest-paid public officer in the kingdom, with a salary that surpasses that of PM Russell Dlamini, who currently earns E85 174.75 per month and his deputy, Thulisile Dladla, who earns E80 916.08 monthly. The figures in the consultant’s report are striking. The new pay structure places principal secretaries above the PM, with a proposed Grade F4 salary band of E91 466 per month or E1 097 593 annually. Currently, principal secretaries are remunerated between E69 251.92 and E72 047.42 monthly, which is Grade F2 Notch 1 and Notch 4.
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Discrepancies in job codes lead to inflated salaries
MBABANE – Teachers and nurses are the most affected civil servants by having grades that do not align with the Establishment Register.
This is detailed in the 444-page Pre-Draft Report on the Salary Review Exercise, which was presented to the Government of Eswatini on Wednesday by the consultants, Emergence Growth and their local partners, Umelusi. The report, dated September 9, 2025, was received by Mthunzi Shabangu, the Principal Secretary (PS) at the Ministry of Public Service and Chief Negotiator for the Government Negotiations Team (GNT).
It was also shared with the Public Sector Unions (PSUs), who represent a fraction of the 44 000 civil servants.
The report highlights inconsistencies that reportedly stem from inaccuracies in the Establishment Register, where job codes and titles do not consistently match those in the payroll data.
This misalignment causes unjustified pay differences, undermining the integrity of the Paterson grading system.
For example, the report shows that grades A4 and C5 have extreme salary ranges due to roles such as ‘typist I’ or ‘secondary teacher’ being misclassified, resulting in inflated salary ranges of 815 and 552 per cent, respectively, for both roles.
*Full article available in our publication.
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