Ezulwini – Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg has called on civil servants to honour their duty to taxpayers by delivering services efficiently and responsibly, following the recent salary review in the public sector.
speaking during the launch of the Eswatini Revenue Service (ERS) 2025 Tax Filing Season and Compliance Improvement Plan held in Ezulwini, where he mentioned the importance of accountability and productivity within the public service.
Rijkenberg highlighted that while the salary adjustments were necessary to correct years of stagnation, they also place a renewed responsibility on civil servants to uphold the “social contract” between government and taxpayers.
“It’s not easy to get the balance perfect,” the Minister said. “Taxpayers pay taxes, and civil servants do the work that taxpayers want them to do. It is a contract between government and taxpayers to say, ‘We will deliver these services, and this is what we will get for it.”
Rijkenberg explained that Eswatini’s wage bill, which once stood at 42% of total government expenditure, one of the highest globally, had been reduced to 32 percent, though it is now expected to rise slightly to between 35 and 36% following the salary review.
He acknowledged that while the increase would impact the national budget, particularly as a large portion of new spending will go toward wages, it remains a necessary step to support civil servants who have endured years without cost-of-living adjustments.
“We do need to look after our civil servants. They do need to get those dues,” he stated, emphasizing that the review was conducted professionally and fairly.
The Minister also noted the positive ripple effects of higher civil service salaries on the broader economy, pointing out that increased household spending by government employees benefits local businesses and stimulates private sector activity.
“The injection of cash through civil servants into the economy has a huge bang for buck when it comes to the spend on the ground,” Rijkenberg said.However, he cautioned that the government must continue managing the wage bill prudently to avoid returning to unsustainable levels, with the long-term goal of bringing it closer to 25 percent of total expenditure.
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