35.000 offentligt ansatte kan stå uden løn op til Jul i det lille kongedømme mellem Sydafrika og Mozambique
JOHANNESBURG, 9th November 2011: The Swaziland Government will struggle to pay public service salaries in November, Finance Minister Majozi Sithole has admitted.
The government has nearly run out of money and only has income from taxes, and this is not enough to pay the salaries.
Until now, the government, which is nearly bankrupt, has been paying civil servants’ salaries from foreign reserves, which have fallen so low that the International Monetary Fund warned of risks to the local emalangeni currency, which is pegged to South Africa’s rand.
Majozi Sithole said:
– We will do our best to pay at the end of November but it is difficult. We have serious fiscal challenges right now.
Swaziland is paying its bills only through tax collection, which Sithole said would not generate enough money to pay the salaries for the kingdom’s 35.000 civil servants.
– The revenue we are able to collect is not sufficient to cover our expenses, said Sithole.
Unions say they will continue to oppose salary cuts, lashing out at the IMF for not taking them seriously.
South Africa has offered the Swazi Government a E2,4 billion (307 mio. US dollar) loan, on condition that it starts to get its financial house in order.
But, according to sources, the loan, which was made available in August, has not been handed over is that South Africa also included conditions that Swaziland should move towards becoming a democratic state.
It is the ‘democracy clause’ that King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, does not like. He alledegly has no intention of giving up his powers, and that is why the money has not been forthcoming.
See also S AFRICA SETS OUT LOAN CONDITIONS
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/08/s-africa-sets-out-loan-conditions.html
Kilde: Swaziland Newsletter 11 November 2011 – News from and about Swaziland, compiled by Africa Contact (Denmark) in collaboration with Swazi Media Commentary (www.swazimedia.blogspot.com), and sent to all with an interest in Swaziland – free of charge.
