GOVERNMENT JUSTIFIES POLITICIANS’ 32% PAY HIKE

MBABANE – Any upward adjustment of civil servants’ salaries automatically results in an increase of politicians’ salaries.

This was said by Government Spokesperson Percy Simelane, through a government press statement, which was released yesterday.  Government said the alignment was made by linking them to the highest paid civil servant, who is the secretary to Cabinet, adding that a Cabinet minister was paid 20 per cent above the secretary to Cabinet and the prime minister (PM) at 50 per cent above the secretary to Cabinet.

The statement, according to Simelane, was being issued because there were varied and confusing reports on the recent salary adjustments for politicians. “This is not a new phenomenon, but has been a formula used since independence for politicians,” reads the statement. 

Last week, politicians who include the PM, Cabinet ministers and parliamentarians, among others, received a salary increase of 32 per cent, following the implementation of the salary review for civil servants, which has been dubbed ‘dvuladvula’.  
Through press statement No.11 of 2016, Simelane said the structure was such that the alignment of salaries for politicians was pegged and dependent on the adjustment of civil servants’ remunerations. PM Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini now earns a basic salary of E77 197.50 per month, from E58 379.17, which reflects an increment of E18 800 and, therefore, is a 32 per cent salary increase.

Meanwhile, the secretary to Cabinet, Mbuso Dlamini, received a 22 per cent salary increase as he was moved up a grade from F4 to F5. He now earns a basic salary of E51 465 from E42 033. This, therefore, means the upward adjustment of civil servants’ salaries automatically results in an increase of politicians’ salaries as per the formula stated above. 
Simelane said all other positions are paid at a ratio to the PM.  “For instance the deputy prime minister got  90 per cent of the PM’s salary, Cabinet minister at 80 per cent and chief justice at 94.63 per cent,” it was reported.

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