MBABANE:King Mswati,an absolute Monarch allegedly issued a Gazette and extended contracts for retired army officials,a decision that resulted to taxpayers forking out over R12million as salaries for the army personnel.
It has been disclosed that each senior army personnel was getting paid over forty-thousand Rands(R40,000.00)per-month for a three(3)year contract,the money amounts to about five hundred thousand Rands(R500,000.00) per-annum and R1.5million in three(3)years.
As a result,taxpayers paid over R12million for the eight(8)senior army personnel whose contracts were extended at around February 2020.
A questionnaire was sent to Lieutenant Tengetile Khumalo,the army Spokesperson,however,she had not responded at the time of compiling this report.
Reached for comments,Mbongwa Dlamini,the President of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers(SNAT)wondered why some senior soldiers and other civil servants who were due for retirement were always reluctant to do so,he said this prevented young workers from being promoted.
“It’s a serious problem we are facing as a country, where senior citizens are oppressing the youth by refusing to retire,these prevents young and energetic soldiers from being promoted.We would like to urge senior soldiers to retire and give way to young blood,”said the SNAT President.
Dlamini wondered what were the duties of the senior soldiers in the army that made them to be irreplaceable.
The soldiers whose contracts were extended by Mswati include Aaron Mndzawe,John Dlamini,Lwane Maseko,Mciniseli Mkhatjwa,Banana Ngwenya and Abednego Fakudze.Others include George Magagula and Jerome Dlamini.
Some of the soldiers have retired after their three(3)-year extended contracts expired in February and March 2023,it is not clear if the King will offer them more years again.
The Gazette issued by the King.