DISAPPOINTMENT AS ELDERLY GET E240 GRANTS

MBABANE – Members of Parliament are equally disappointed just as the elderly following their payment of grants this month; which stood at E240.

Like the elderly, the legislators were also excited that the senior citizens of the country would be paid E400 this month.
However, during the ongoing payment exercise, which is currently being carried out by the Swaziland Post and Telecommunications Corporation (SPTC), the elderly are being paid the old amount.
Everyone had hoped or assumed that with the new government financial year falling on April 1, 2017, those aged 60 and above would reap the new benefits.

Yesterday, hundreds of elderly from the Pigg’s Peak Constituency queued to receive the money hoping that they would receive the increased amount. This was, however, not the case, as they walked away with E720 instead of E1 200. This is payment for January, February as well as March 2017.
Chairperson of the Deputy Prime Minister’s office in the House of Assembly Portfolio Committee, Sandleni MP James Simelane, said they were still going to try and convene a meeting with the DPM Paul Dlamini and his officials to get to the bottom of the issue.

“We are all disappointed and the elderly cannot understand what is going on because as soon as they heard that the money would be increased, they looked forward to April,” said Simelane.
Meanwhile, SPTC Corporate Communications Manager Nqobile Magagula confirmed that this month the elderly would get E240.
She said during the next disbursement, the elderly would be receiving the E400. The 66 per cent elderly grant increase was announced by Minister of Finance Martin Dlamini during the Budget Speech for the financial year 2017/18.
There are about 60 000 elderly people receiving grants currently.

The elderly grant increase came after His Majesty King Mswati III announced during the official opening of the Fourth Session of the 10th Parliament, that elderly grants were to increase this year.
The pronouncement by the King gave the elderly and the entire Swazi nation something to smile about as their prayers had been answered after a protracted fight for an improvement.
In an earlier interview, DPM Dlamini said his office had submitted a thorough review on all social services, including a hike of 25 per cent on the elderly grant to the ministry of finance.

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