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11TH PARLIAMENTARIANS’ EXTERNAL TRAVEL COST OVER E3.2M

24/03/2024 17:07:00 Sifiso Dlamini

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MBABANE – Members of the 11th Parliament spent over E3.2 million on external travel during their last year in office.

The funds were spent on flight tickets as well as allowances for the period between, April 2023 and February 2024. Worth mentioning is that the parliamentarians’ expenditure remained slightly under the budgeted amount by the time they left office. Of note, some MPs and Parliament service staff, however, did not retire their tour advances amounting to over E500 000 upon return from their various international trips during the period under review, as per the Auditor General (AG), Timothy Matsebula. According to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Eswatini’s annual performance report for the financial year 2023/24, Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini, who is also the minister of Parliament, government allocated a budget under the item for financing expenditures of internal travel, external as well as for communications services.

approve external travel

Meanwhile, during the House of Assembly debate of the annual performance report, MPs urged the prime minister to consider granting clerk to Parliament and presiding officers being the Speaker Jabulani Mabuza and Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini, authority to approve external travel as it used to be the case in the previous government. In response, the PM gave his assurance that he would consult with the presiding officers; with a view of finding how best the matter could be handled. Currently, some members of the 12th Parliament are on various international parliamentary trips, where they are representing the country. An annual budget under the travel, transport and communication item amounted to E3 573 193, which included reallocated funds worth E56 500 for financing the expenditure. It was reported that external travel expenditures were those incurred by MPs and Parliamentary service staff on attending official meetings out of Eswatini. “The expenditures include return flights tickets and subsistence allowances,” read part of the report.

The PM also clarified that the actual expenditure incurred for the period of April 2023 and February 2024 amounted to E3 238 580, leaving a variance of E334 608, which had since been committed on external travel and communications services. Payments in this regard were on process and would be completed within the month of March 2024. Meanwhile, Matsebula, in the financial audit report for the financial year 2022/23, reported an audit query under Parliament, pertaining to unretired and unrecovered tour advances for some former MPs and Parliament service staff. Matsebula reported that tour advances amounting to E561 646.52 were not retired by and/or recovered from the officials involved as at March 31, 2023. The unretired tour advances remained unrecovered assets and there was no evidence that the related external travel expenditure was not recorded in the books of accounts.

full recovery

He explained that section 11, Paragraph 4.18 of the financial management and accounting Procedures Manual requires that: “Where an officer who has received a tour advance fails to retire it in good time, the accounts person in the ministry should seek full recovery of that advance from the officer’s future salary entitlements.” Moreover, Section 11, Paragraph 4.19 states that the year-end balances on the tour advance item should normally equal zero. The AG warned the controlling officer, Clerk to Parliament, Benedict Xaba that the unretired tour advances remained unrecovered monies due to government, and the external travel expenditure was understated in the financial year it relates; thus distorting the financial position and reported financial performance. Matsebula advised the controlling officer to ensure that all the tour advances were retired and repaid immediately upon the completion of the tour, and recover unretired tour advances from the officials and politicians involved. I further advised that external travel expenditure should be recorded in the books of accounts in the financial year it relates and reconciled with the tour advance suspense account at the end of each month.

In response, the controlling officer concurred with the AGs observations and stated that the tour advance suspense account was on continuous reconciliation and explained that some tour advances issued have been recovered from salaries of implicated former MPs. Xaba said the outstanding balance had slightly been reduced by the already retired tours, amounting to E53 031.75 leaving a balance of E508 614. 77. The response of the controlling officer was noted by the AG who, however, said they were not satisfactory because the accounting system showed the same amount of unrecovered tour advances and fictitious tour advance liability that appear to have been retired against non-posted tour advance, as at March 31, 2023. “The recoveries were done after I had raised the audit finding and only 9.4 per cent of them were recovered from the total outstanding tour advances in the financial year ending 2024. As significant amount of the tour advances remain unrecovered,” he said. He further mentioned that the expenditure of the tour advances was not recorded in the books of accounts or accounting system and the fictitious tour advance liability was not addressed.

budget allocation

On another note, Parliament has budgeted E3 million for the purchase of laptops for the members of the 12th Parliament. The report detailed that there was a budget allocation for the year under review for purchasing durable materials for the institution. The allocated budget of E3 million was set aside for the purchase of laptops for the new parliamentarians. “The equipment has since been ordered from the supplier who won the tender and payment will be processed upon delivery. Reallocated funds worth E70 000 purchased other equipment for the institution,” read part of the report. Meanwhile, the budget allocation under professional and special services, the budget allocated financed all expenditures related to professional and special services. These include utility bills, medical aid fees, some of the State opening of Parliament’s expenditures, maintenance, Parliament renovations, training and workshops, servicing of machinery and equipment.

The approved budget allocation under the item was E8 955 508 plus reallocated funds amounting to E1 648 350 to boost financing of expenditures falling under the category.
Actual expenditure to date amounted to E7 299 682, leaving a balance of E2 304 166, which was committed fund on expenditures incurred during the preparations for the State Opening of the First Session of the 12th Parliament in February 2024. Similarly, part of the balance was committed on medical aid fees for MPs, utility bills to be incurred in March 2024 and other contracted services rendered to the institution. Also under the consumable materials and supplies, the report detailed that budget approved for this item financed consumable materials for the smooth running of Parliament activities. The budget financed expenditures for cleaning materials, protective clothing (uniform) for support staff, stationery, food supplies mostly for State Opening of Parliament, and other office supplies. The approved budget allocation for the expenditure item was E237 066 and funds worth E1 796 063 were reallocated to finance daily expenditures and that of hosting the Opening of the First Session of the 12th Parliament.

expenditure incurred

The actual expenditure incurred as at February 2024 amounted to E554 385, while the positive balance of E1 241 678 represented committed funds on expenditures incurred in hosting the State opening. Payments to the respective service providers were on process and were expected to be completed within the month of March, 2024. Under grants and subsidies, the budget allocated finances subscriptions to organisations where the Parliament of Eswatini is affiliated. The annual budget allocation for the financial year 2023/24 amounted to E2 338 738, which has since been fully released for payment of subscriptions to the respective organisations. Parliament reported that invoices have since been received and payments were on process and expected to be completed within March 2024.