UPROAR OVER MOPADO E400

MBABANE – “Ngiyafutselana (I am very angry)”.

These were the words of a member of the current and former politicians’ pension fund scheme after receiving news that he would receive what he termed a meagre E400 a month from the fund. The fund is known as the Members of Parliament and Designated Office Bearers Pension Fund (MOPADO) and its members include former politicians who are bucopho (constituency councillor) and tindvuna tetinkhundla (constituency headmen).  In terms of the administration of the fund, government contributes 30 per cent while the members pay 15 per cent, which is deducted from their salaries. Following the passing of a Bill that removed accessing the money when a member reaches 55 years of age to five after his term has ended, government has decided to pay the tindvuna and bucopho members of the fund E400 monthly.

Saved

It has been alleged that after the review of the 55 years, government then paid members who are former and returning MPs 50 per cent of their money saved in the fund. However, tindvuna tetinkhundla and bucopho have allegedly not been given the 50 per cent. Instead, government has introduced the E400 monthly pay, which is the annuity for the five years.
The bone of contention now, it has been gathered, is how government arrived at the E400. A member of the fund, Thulani Shiba, who is a representative for members of the fund under the Shiselweni Region and a former indvuna yenkhundla, said he was shocked last Wednesday when he received the news of the E400 payment. “We are shocked. They sent us messages last week inviting us to submit our email addresses. They told us that they would send us forms to fill in. We received the forms, but up until now, we are blank on what they are for. Sadly, we were told that no one was expected to go to the MOPADO offices for enquiries due to COVID-19,” he alleged. He said the form was unclear as all it talked about was that they should make their contributions and then sign.

According to Shiba, he then engaged his colleagues under his region, who informed him that they would receive E400 per month from the fund.

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: