Government has spent over E300 million on travel expenses in just three months, according to the Ministry of Finance’s second quarter performance report.
The report, which was debated by the House of Assembly Portfolio Committee last week, revealed that the government spent E301,966,875 on travel costs—representing 68% of the recurrent budget of E443,871,698.
During the debate, Members of Parliament (MPs) expressed concern over the high travel expenditure, urging the ministry to cut down travel costs and redirect the funds toward service delivery and completion of capital projects.
Fiscal Discipline and Spending Overview
Minister of Finance Neal Rijkenberg stated that total recurrent spending, excluding interest payments, amounted to E10.1 billion, representing 45% of the overall recurrent budget.
He noted this figure was slightly below the half-year mark, indicating some fiscal restraint.
Rijkenberg emphasised that the Budget Department continued to strive to re-establish fiscal discipline, which he described as key to macroeconomic sustainability.
Released funds on the recurrent budget totalled E11.2 billion, while E2.98 billion was released for government-financed capital projects during the second quarter—equating to 34.2% and 9.1% of the overall appropriated budget respectively.
Salaries and Expenditure Breakdown
On the payment of salaries, the minister reported that E4.6 billion had been spent on wages and salaries, representing 52% of the total personnel annual budget.
He attributed this to efforts to fill critical vacancies to enhance service delivery across government ministries.
Expenditure on internal transfers, including subsidies, grants, and social benefits, amounted to E3.6 billion, about 42% of the annual budget for internal transfers.
Spending on goods and services reached E2.2 billion, which is 47% of the annual allocation—closely aligned with expected mid-year spending.
Top Spending Ministries
Rijkenberg highlighted that ministries with the highest budget releases during the reporting period included:
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Ministry of Home Affairs (90%)
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Ministry of Economic Planning and Development (80%)
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Ministry of Public Works and Transport (71%)
The total budget release amounted to E11.1 billion, which equals 50% of the annual budget.
He added that E83.9 million was released to the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS), reflecting 97% of their annual budget.
The total annual budget for government-financed capital projects stands at E2.98 billion, with 41% released to date. Full releases were realised for the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs.
