Government pays over E8.3 million in salaries to 24 suspended police officers since 2022, with cases still unresolved and under REPOSA scrutiny.
Government spent over E8.3 million on salaries for 24 suspended police officers.
The officers were suspended in November 2022 for participating in activities related to the Royal Eswatini Police Staff Association (REPOSA) and for organising a meeting on September 3 in Manzini despite being ordered not to.
Many more officials within the police service, other government ministries and departments continue to receive full pay.
Calls for Case Resolution
Parliamentarians, including the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), have over the years called for government to finalise the cases of suspended officials who continue to drain the public purse.
Reason for Suspension
The junior officers were suspended after they participated in a march to deliver a petition to the former prime minister (PM), Cleopas Sipho Dlamini, seeking engagement with him on the implementation of Phase II for the police and correctional officers’ salary restructuring exercise of 2014.
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Some of the junior officers were suspended following allegations that they were part of those who visited the residence of the then PM. The suspended officers confirmed that they were still on full pay while on suspension.
The late former National Commissioner (NatCom) of police, William Tsitsibala Dlamini, said the junior officers’ actions were against the provisions of Section 68 (3) of the Police Service Act, 2018.
Salary Calculations and Public Expenditure
The suspended officers are all constables. There are 10 different notches under the rank.
According to the Kingdom of Eswatini Establishment Register, supporting the estimates of public expenditure for the financial year 2024/25, a salary for a police officer under the rank of constable 1 is E125 807 annually, equivalent to E10 483 on a monthly basis.
This means that over the past 33 months, government has paid E8 302 536 in salaries to the suspended junior officers. However, when calculating the amount paid based on the highest notch, which is notch 10, the figure is significantly higher.
REPOSA Statement on Suspended Officers
REPOSA Chairperson Sergeant Isaac Lukhele said the officers remained suspended.
He acknowledged though that there was a need to pursue the matter further in order to bring it to finality.
He also mentioned that the suspended police officers remained on full pay and would also benefit from the implementation of the Phase II salary restructuring exercise which was finalised last week.
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