E280 million for Emabandla salaries
THE Government will spend slightly over E280 million on salaries for members of the new ten Emabandla in the next five years.
The money excludes the various allowances ranging from housing, entertainment and communications allowances which could take the bill to over E300 million.
His Majesty King Mswati III is expected to announce the appointment of members of the ten different traditional advisory councils and commissions (emabandla) in the next few weeks.
The councils include Liqoqo (The King’s Advisory Council), Ludzidzini Council, Border Restoration Committee, Civil Service Commission, Teaching Service Commission, Mineral Management Board, and Citizenship Board, Others are the Board of Royal Trustees, Land Management Board and Regional Administrators (Ras).
Some of the commissions have vacant posts after some members were appointed to Parliament while others passed away. At about the same time last year (2023), the Emabandla, commissions and boards received an increment of 3 per cent following the implementation of the costof-living adjustment (COLA).
Signatory to the Legal Notice No: 28 of 2024 is the Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg. The Legal notice was issued through the Extraordinary Government Gazette titled: ‘The Prescription of Statutory Salaries and Allowances of Commissions and Boards Notice, 2024.’
Last year, Minister Rijkenberg explained that the implementation of Legal Notice No.76 of 2023 by default revoked Legal Notice No. 270 of 2020. The Legal Notice No.76 of 2023 has now been revoked. The notice was issued by the Minister of Finance and came into effect on April 8, 2024.
The ten Emabandla will take home a combined E4 791 007 per month in salaries which translates to E287 460 420 for their term of office which will run for five years, beginning this year and ending in 2029.
As reported by our sister newspaper, the Eswatini Financial Times, the incoming Liqoqo Chairperson will take home a basic monthly salary of E72 398 which is an increment of 10.5 per cent and which also translates to an annual salary of E868 783. The current Liqoqo Chairman and former Deputy Prime Minister Paul Dlamini earns a basic salary of E65 519.33 per month with the rest of the 22 members each taking home E63 611 monthly.
The new Liqoqo chairperson will get a Housing Allowance of E18 099.66 per month which translates to E217.196 per annum. The Chairperson of Liqoqo will also be provided with Housing assistants which include a housekeeper, a gardener and a driver. He is also afforded 24-hour security.
The Government will also contribute 30 per cent to his pension under the MOPADO Scheme. Liqoqo Committee, with its 23 members, will cost the government E1 196 686 on basic salary excluding allowances while the Border Restoration Committee, with its 14 members, will cost E728 233 monthly.
The Ludzidzini Council which has 17 members including the Chairman, will cost government E890 062 monthly on salaries excluding allowances.
E200 000 home security loan for
members of Emabandla
Members of the ten different advisory councils are entitled to a once-off loan not exceeding E200 000 for improving the security in the residence of the office bearer.
According to the Legal Notice No. 28, 2024 issued on April 8 titled; “The Prescription of Statutory and Allowances of Emabandla, Commissions and Boards Notice” signed by Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg, the government will provide the loan of E150 000.
“If the office bearer requires the balance of Fifty Thousand Emalangeni (E50 000) the E50 000 required by the office bearer shall be sourced from a local financial institution in line with the Civil Service Home Loan Scheme,” the Notice reads in part.
Besides the loan provision, an ex-gratia payment amounting to a one-year basic salary for the office bearers of the various Emabandla.
“An office bearer of a salaried Libandla, Statutory Board or Commission shall be paid an ex-gratia at the end of the five-year term of office, being a once-off one (1) year basic salary before tax paid to all Libandla, Statutory Board or Commission at the end of the term of office,” reads the Legal Notice issued on April 8, 2024.