BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – His Majesty King Mswati III has presided over the expansion of Eswatini’s civil service workforce from 16 169 to 42 755 over the past 40 years.
This was revealed by Minister of Public Service Mabulala Maseko while outlining developments in the public sector since His Majesty ascended to the throne in 1986.
Maseko said the growth in the number of civil servants was a result of the King’s leadership, which enabled government to strengthen its capacity to deliver services to emaSwati.
Teachers’ Welfare
He added that one of the key challenges during the King’s reign was addressing the welfare of teachers. He said government undertook the task of converting many teachers from temporary to permanent employment.
According to Maseko, the situation had been unfair because many temporary teachers were serving in permanent and pensionable posts, yet they did not enjoy the benefits of permanent employment.
He said the exercise began in 2022, with around 4,000 teachers affected at the time. That number has since been reduced to about 1,000.
Training Civil Servants
The minister described the King as a leader who consistently emphasised improving the conditions of civil servants. He said the monarch also fostered relations with other countries and encouraged them to assist in training public servants where possible.
Maseko said this visionary leadership led to the establishment and support of institutions such as Eswatini Institute of Management and Public Administration, Institute of Development Management and Eastern and Southern African Management Institute, which help equip civil servants with skills to improve service delivery.
PSPF Growth and Investments
In 1993, he said, His Majesty launched the Public Service Pensions Fund to improve the welfare of retired civil servants.
When the fund was established, it had assets worth E280 million. By 2015, those assets had grown to E17 billion, and today they stand at E42 billion.
Maseko said the PSPF has also created 13,000 jobs and invested in several projects, including an oncology centre in Manzini that has helped many emaSwati access cancer treatment locally.
He said the facility has reduced the number of citizens forced to seek specialised medical treatment outside the country.
