BUCOPHO, TINDVUNA TRIUMPH

MBABANE – While government is offering civil servants zero per cent CoLA, 395 politicians have ‘successfully’ negotiated payment of their medical aid worth about E3.7 million. 

The 395 politicians are bucopho and tindvuna tetinkhundla, who have been up in arms against government for the non-payment of their medical aid benefit as per the provisions of the Finance Circular No.2 of 2013.

The country has 59 tindvuna tentinkhundla from the equal number of constituencies, while there are 336 bucopho members from all the chiefdoms in the country.  This is not the first time that government has prioritised the payment of politicians to other debts such as the payment of its suppliers and purchasing medical equipment.

Outstanding

Just last month, government paid out about E55 million to former parliamentarians while other debts remained outstanding.    
The politicians were informed to go and sign-up for their medical aid forms today and on Thursday, and the medical aid service provider is SwaziMed, just like Members of Parliament (MPs) and Cabinet ministers. All the politicians fall under the SwaziMed High Benefit.

According to Lobamba Indvuna Yenkhundla Bhekisisa Bhembe, who spoke on behalf of the Hhohho Region group, he believed that the benefit was being given to them because they had engaged the services of attorneys, trading as T.R Maseko Attorneys.

Tindvuna tentinkhundla earn about E7 400 per month and according the SwaziMed Benefit Guide 2018, the monthly contribution for a member who earned above E6 000 per month, was E2 390.

It should be noted that Finance Circular No.2 gives full medical aid cover for the member, spouse and their dependants.
Independent calculations made by this reporter indicate that a month, government would have to pay about E141 010 for the 59 tindvuna tetinkhundla’s medical aid cover. 

On the other hand, bucopho who earn a basic salary of about E6 000, according to the SwaziMed Benefit Guide of 2018, could contribute about E2 372 per month for an individual member. In total, government per month is expected to contribute about E796 992 for the 336 bucopho members. The aforementioned figure excludes the spouses and dependants.

Presently, government is in arrears of three months as both the constituency headmen and bucopho were not recipients of the benefit from the months of November 2018 until January 2019, yet other parliamentarians were recipients of the full benefit.  The outstanding total is therefore E3 752 008 and could be higher since the above calculations do not include spouses or children.

Making noise

The headmen and constituency councillors have been making noise about the lack of the benefit, to the extent that they alleged that Minister of Tinkhundla Administration and Development David Ngcamphalala, had banned them from radio and further called the police on them.

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