NEED TO LIMIT MINISTERS’ FUEL USAGE – PAC

LOBAMBA – Finance Circular No. 2 of 2013 needs to be amended to limit the amount of fuel which Cabinet ministers can use.

This was said by the Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), MP Phila Buthelezi, yesterday. 

Presently, Cabinet ministers, including the prime minister and presiding officers, have an uncapped use of fuel from the Central Transport Administration (CTA), courtesy of the circular.

revenue 

The chairperson said this would also help in revenue collection as the Eswatini Revenue Authority (SRA) would also be able to tax that benefit.

In response, Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Sizakele Dlamini said they would take the committee’s suggestion under consideration.

She highlighted that before the 10th Parliament, in particular under Finance Circular No. 1 of 2010, government only afforded ministers a certain percentage of car allowance and they would also fuel their vehicles out of their own pockets.

She said, however, with the introduction of Finance Circular No.2 of 2013, the ministers were allowed to purchase vehicles not exceeding E800 000 and the fuelling costs were borne by government. 

Dlamini said it was now difficult to control how much the ministers spent on fuel.  

The PS said Finance Circular No.2 of 2019, which had been suggested by the Royal Commission, had attempted to address the issue, but the circular’s implementation was suspended.

Expenditure

She said currently, there was no control of that expenditure, save that during the present day controlling officers were expected to inform ministers if they had exceeded their quota.  She revealed that with the current fuel shortages faced by government, Cabinet ministers were only allowed to fuel their cars once per week at the CTA. 

“It is only now that we are able to control how much fuel ministers use because of the current challenges faced by government,” submitted Dlamini.

She said each ministry had been allocated 30 per cent of their CTA budget to be spent on fuel. 

“Controlling officers can only now inform the ministers if they have reached their limit,” she said.

The PAC chairperson further stated that Circular No. 2 of 2013 should also be amended to include the attorney general (AG).

MP Buthelezi said he personally had nothing against the AG getting benefits like Cabinet ministers, but that his office should be legally included in the circular, which was solely for parliamentarians and politicians, including emabandla.

He said in other jurisdictions, the AG also had similar benefits. 

Buthelezi said the minute which had been written by the former PS at the Ministry of Finance, Bheki Bhembe, held no water as it was not necessarily a legally binding document, which was why the AG should be included in the amended circular.

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