By Bongiwe Dlamini

MBABANE:Comfort Shabalala, the Principal Officer of the Members of Parliament and Designated Office Bearers Pension Fund (MOPADO) has confirmed that, some members of the Pension Fund depleted their pension during the COVID-19 pandemic after requesting advances to meet their financial needs.

This clarification comes after some former MPs and Tindvuna Te-Tinkhundla approached this publication complaining that, they “were no longer receiving their pension from MOPADO” and this publication contacted the administrators of the Pension Fund for a comment who requested to respond and clarify the concerns through a formal press statement.

In a statement sent to this Swaziland News on Monday evening, the Principal Officer said, MOPADO was aware of the situation but clarified that, only members who requested advances were financially affected.

“The Members of Parliament and Designated Office Bearers Pension Fund(MOPADO) wishes to provide clarity on concerns regarding the early depletion of certain members’ living annuities, particularly those who had chosen a five-year payout option. A living annuity allows members to receive a regular income from their retirement savings, but the money is drawn down from a pool that can run out depending on the drawdown rate and other financial decisions.In contrast, a life annuity provides a guaranteed income for life, but usually at a fixed level and without flexibility to adjust,” said the Principal Officer.

On another note, the MOPADO Principal Officer said “members who chose the living annuity option valued the flexibility it provides” but, also accepted the responsibility that comes with managing the pace at which their funds are used.

”It is of utmost importance to first paint a background picture of the type of living annuity(pension scheme). The Pension Fund regime is called a Defined Contribution Scheme. This means that the members of the Scheme would at the end of the term of Parliament(5 years) term have accumulated a fund credit. This fund credit is analogous to a bank account credit of the member. He would then, after term end begins to withdraw the fund credit in his favour on a monthly basis as a pension until it’s fully depleted”, said the Principal Officer through the press statement.

The MOPADO Principal Officer said the impact of COVID-19 was unprecedented adding that, during the pandemic and as a result, many members understandably took COVID relief-advances to meet urgent needs. 

“However, for those who continued drawing their living annuities at the same level without reducing or pausing them to offset the value of the advances, the effect was that their funds depleted faster than planned.To illustrate simply: Imagine setting aside enough fuel for a five-hour trip. If, along the way, you divert and take a second smaller journey without reducing your main consumption, the fuel will run out before you reach the five hours. Similarly, when members took advances against their savings but kept drawing the same monthly income, the “fuel” in their living annuity ran out sooner.It must also be stated that some members were advised to temporarily adjust their drawdowns in line with the COVID advances they had accessed. Unfortunately, many declined, noting that they had already built commitments around the monthly income they had become accustomed to”, he said.

Shabalala said, while they understood the situation, the decision to request advances shortened the lifespan of the members pension.

”In line with our ongoing commitment to engaging and informing members, the Fund recently concluded an annuity member engagement roadshow across all four regions of the Kingdom, held from 16–23 September 2025. During these sessions, members were updated on several ongoing projects, including efforts to create a mechanism for accessing funeral cover beyond retirement-initiatives that are still in the boardroom but approaching fruition. Members were also briefed on enhancements to group life cover and funeral cover, developments originally commissioned by them during their time in office”, said the MOPADO Principal Officer.