Some soldiers are allegedly having E1 500 deducted from their salaries when sent to military prison for misconduct.
This was revealed by Mayiwane Member of Parliament (MP) Sicelo Dlamini during the debate of the Ministry of Defence’s first-quarter performance report for the 2026/2027 financial year.
Dlamini said soldiers who misbehaved at army camps were sent to military prisons at the Mbuluzi Army Barracks or the Infantry School for discipline.
He stated that there were allegations that money was being deducted from these soldiers’ salaries.
He alleged that E1 500 was being deducted from affected soldiers and called on the ministry to investigate this, adding that a recent group had been impacted.
He stated that the soldiers did not know where the deducted funds were going or the reasons behind the cuts.
He expressed concern, stating that no worker should be subjected to such treatment because it was wrong.
“A worker cannot be disciplined by having money they earned deducted,” he said.
According to sources, those sent to military prison were soldiers accused of workplace misconduct, including absconding from duty and other disciplinary infractions.
He added that those sent to prison remained in confinement for three months. He stated that the soldiers were not permitted to leave, as confinement was used as a method to correct their wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, in responses tabled by Portfolio Committee Chairperson Nkomiyahlaba MP Mduduzi Dlamini, the ministry stated that the salary reductions for soldiers jailed in military prisons were part of the army’s punitive and corrective measures.
The responses have already been adopted in the House of Assembly, while senators are scheduled to debate the ministry’s performance reports this week.
