MBABANE – The Ministry of Public Service Management Audit report proposed a reduction of 7,718 posts, from 51,887 both filled and vacant posts, aiming to reach 44,169 jobs by end of year.
“This initiative reflects the Ministry of Public Service’s commitment to optimizing resource allocation and streamlining its workforce optimum utilization of staff,” the first quarter performance report 2025 partly reads.
The ministry of Public Service, ministered by Mabulala Maseko, highlights that the occupied-redundant posts currently consume about E306 million annually, and achieving a break-even point on this investment is projected to take between three to four years.
To implement the strategy, the cost of E1.2 billion paid exit packages for civil servants in redundant posts is estimated.
The report reflects that the reduction strategy resolved ‘cleaning’ the Establishment register by abolishing 3,799 redundant posts, reducing about 6,597 posts through Alternative Service Delivery, and creating 2,678 new posts.
While some posts are redundant, approximately 3 436 are currently occupied, the report said. Between April and June, the average number of civil servants decreased from 45 132 in the financial year 2024/25 to 44 848 in the financial year 2025/26, representing a decrease of 284, or about 0.6 percent.
The current civil servant headcount for the fiscal year 2025/26 stands at 44 848, which reflects a decrease of about 0.6 percent from 45 132 in the 2024/25 financial year.
While 1 200 temporary teachers were hired and some temporary posts were converted to permanent positions, there continued to be a slight decrease in the workforce.
The Establishment Circular No. 3 of 2018 on hiring freeze without Cabinet approval which was lifted, continues to have an impact, the performance report said. The circular was replaced with the Establishment Circular No. 3 of 2023.
The report states that attrition – the gradual but deliberate reduction in staff numbers that occurs as employees leave a company and are not replaced – exceeding new hires also contributed to the decrease.
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