Africa-Press – Eswatini. To assist cushion him as he deals with disasters in the country, new Prime Minister Russell Mmemo Dlamini stands to enjoy an over E11 million package as he takes over the hot seat at the hospital hill following his appointment by His Majesty King Mswati III at Sibaya on Friday.
This is courtesy of the latest Finance Circular Number 2 of 2023 that spells out the terms and conditions of service of parliamentarians, designated office bearers of the 12th parliament and the attorney general (AG).
The hefty package includes a basic salary that will total to E5 110 485 in the five years the former National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) chief executive officer (CEO) will be in office as he will claim an annual basic salary of E1 022 097.
On top of this, the PM also stands to benefit from a once-off home improvement and security finance facility of E3 500 000 as he settles in at his demanding new workstation.
The Premier will also get furniture that will be allocated in each of the government-owned residences or designated houses which will be of reasonable cost and should not exceed E1million.
Dlamini will also be entitled to a housing allowance of E1 277 621 in the entire five years if not provided with an official government residence.
He will be also be entitled to an ex-gratia payment of E1 022 097, which will be paid as a once-off payment, equal to months or one year basic salary before tax when he vacates office.
The above perks will further be accompanied by a number of allowances that include a constituency allowance that will add up to E638 810 in the five years, an entertainment allowance of E102 209, an unlimited communication allowance a contributory medical aid and pension.
According to the Finance Circular, in order to maintain the dignity of the office of the Prime Minister, government shall provide a Home improvement/Enhancement Finance Facility. The purpose of this facility is to ensure that at retirement, the former politicians will have private residences befitting the status of a former Prime Minister who has served the country.
“Government shall provide a Home Improvement/Enhancement Finance Facility to the Prime Minister to a maximum of E3 500 000; within the period of their term in office and shall have access to these funds for improving or paying off any loan they may have on the property that they have each designated to be the private home or residence of the Prime Minister,” reads part of the circular.
The circular further provides that access to these funds shall be authorised by the Minister of Finance in as far as facilitating the availabity of funds within the set time-lines; following a request by the Prime Minister. It says this will be done within the 12 months to 24 months of his assumption of office and no later than 48 months after assuming office; and will be fully utilised before end of their term of office.
“If the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister do not have access to this facility due to death an amount of E3.5 million will be transferred to the estate of the prime minister.
“If the prime minister would have accessed only a portion of this facility before death the remaining balance would be transferred to their estate.”
Furthermore, the Finance Circular stipulates that it is the policy of the Government of Eswatini to furnish the official residence of the Prime Minister and that the furnishing of Government-owned or designated residence occupied by the Prime Minister is limited to the provision and maintenance of hard and soft furniture as defined in the document.
duration
“This is a once-off benefit for the Prime Minister, for the duration of the 12th Parliament. Should the Prime Minister exhaust this capped limit, the purchase of any additional furniture will be at their personal expense,” adds the circular.
It also adds that the soft furniture will be given to the departing Prime Minister if they are not re-appointed into office while the hard furniture will be auctioned off with the Prime Minister having the first option to purchase it at the current carrying value, provided the political office bearer is not re-appointed to office.
“If the Prime Minister is re-appointed into office, he will continue to use the purchased furniture. However, if he finds that some of the hard and/or soft furniture bought in the previous term has become redundant, the Controlling Officer concerned should make the necessary arrangements to have the article(s) removed and the inventories amended accordingly. Any replacements will be done in terms of the ceilings set for the 12th Parliament,” further stipulates the Finance Circular.
It also states that in the event that the prime minister does not fully serve a full term in office, due to death, the soft furniture shall be transferred to the estate of that prime minister while the hard furniture shall be sold to the estate of the late prime minister, at the carrying value assessed in consultation with the Controller of Government Stores.
On another note, the purpose of the entertainment allowance is to enable the prime minister to pay for refreshments and taking clients or potential clients out for refreshments or meals.
Furthermore, government shall continue to contribute to the medical aid cover of the prime minister and his spouse at a rate of 67 per cent from government and 33 per cent from the office bearer. This provision applies to all former prime ministers and upon the death of the prime minister, this benefit shall come to an end. The cost of transportation of these former office bearers for hospitalisation purposes shall be at their own cost.
Entire govt machinery welcomes new PM
After the country witnessed the appointment of the new Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini by His Majesty King Mswati III on Friday, Government Spokesperson Alpheous Nxumalo has on behalf of the entire State and government machinery welcomed him into the office.
Following the appointment by His Majesty, Nxumalo shouted Bayethe Wena Waphakathi!
He said a State can be distinguished from government as the State is the organisation while government is the particular group of people, the administrative bureaucracy that controls the state apparatus at a given time.
He noted that government is composed of three distinct branches: Legislative, Executive and Judicial. All their powers and functions are vested in the national constitution of 2005.
“The state is a form of human association distinguished from other social groups by its purpose, the establishment of order and security; its methods, the laws and their enforcement; its territory, the area of jurisdiction or geographic boundaries; and finally by its sovereignty.
“These are but all the realms in which His Excellency the Right Honourable Prime Minister will be operating. Like a skillful player of piano,he will be highly expected to harmonise the different strings in order to produce the necessary sounds of music desirable by the kingdom’s developmental aspects, he said.
Nxumalo said we cannot, therefore, consolidate ourselves, strengthen our national posture, and subdue the challenges we face as a nation without the rudimentary tools of strategy which is drawn from creativity, originality, ingenuity, imagination and resourcefulness.
“Again, welcome Excellency and you have at your disposal; the whole government machinery to marshall in order to achieve the strategic goals of the state that His Excellency envision.”
Umgcini wesive concept key
in propelling his actions
Some observers have urged new Prime Minister Russell Dlamini to revisit the concept he used while at NDMA to steer the government ship as he fights disasters as directed by His Majesty the King upon his appointment on Friday.
At the height of COVID-19, the country witnessed the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) led by Dlamini as CEO seamlessly employ the Umgcini Wesive (My People’s Keeper) Campaign in successfully fighting the scourge.
As a national behaviour change campaign, Umgcini Wesive was conceived to empower citizens, businesses, institutions and civil society with new skills and tools using a collaborative approach to surviving what became ‘the New Normal’.
This campaign had the inherent ability to plug into existing interventions and programmes the country had already commissioned to combat the scourge and it helped bolster existing partnerships and opened more partnership opportunities beyond government, NGOs, regional bodies and international agencies.
According to the My People’s Keeper Campaign concept note, it sought to demonstrate how synchronised efforts are key in the fight against COVID-19. It illustrated solidarity and ensured that its messages reached all sectors borrowing from lessons learnt in and outside the country and further ensured that all citizens took it upon themselves to take good care of themselves whether at home, in public, at school or at work.
The overall aim of the campaign was to save lives, reduce infections and avoid a second wave of infections, which was expected to hit around the festive season with the belief that My People Keeper Campaign was pivotal in turning around the tide and in helping the better management communication in a time of a national crisis.
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