BENNETT BLASTS POLITICIANS’ 32% INCREMENT WHILE SWAZIS STARVE

LUDZIDZINI – It was clear for all present at Sibaya that businessman Walter Bennett had been aching for a chance to address His Majesty King Mswati III, especially on the operations of the Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini led Cabinet.    

Bennett joined the many Swazis who blasted government, including politicians for awarding themselves 32 per cent in the recently implemented salary review for civil servants.
“Their excuse is that it is automatic that they get an increment whenever civil servants have their salaries reviewed, that is totally wrong because we all work for money,” said Bennett, which in vernacular he said: ‘imali iyasetjentwa ayibi automatic’.
He said just in 2012, the public had complained about Finance Circular No.1 and four years later they were still complaining about another Circular, which was Finance Circular No.2.

He referred to these in vernacular as emasikela (sickles). He said despite the fact that there was a drought situation in the country, the politicians still gave themselves 32 per cent. 
“Ngisho kunesomiso kungena lisikela,” he said. Bennett said the 32 per cent increment should not be effected.

He said when PriceWaterHouseCoopers reviewed Circular No.1 they made it clear that Cabinet had to delink their salaries from that of the secretary to Cabinet, who is the highest paid civil servant.
He said if it was that easy to get a salary increment then everyone should quit their jobs and join Cabinet. “Asiyekeleni lasisebenta khona ke,” he said.
The former senator said Cabinet was making the King poor and enriching themselves. He said running government was not a free for all opportunity where people just did as they pleased. “Akusuye phuzuphume”.
He further complained about the benefits that the prime minister (PM) would get when he vacated office. 

“The circular talks about the dignity of the PM and money is not dignity,” said Bennett.
He mentioned that former PMs had commented that some people were lucky as they received hefty packages and wondered why they were not all compensated in the same manner.
He got the public laughing when he described that some politicians could not even bend over because they had very big stomachs from all the money they had.
Bennett said the country would not prosper if money continued to be carelessly spent by government in the manner that it was.

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