BY MBONO MDLULI
MBABANE – The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has managed to collect revenue of E62 156 747 last year.
This is contained in the Ministry’s Annual Performance Report from April to December 2023. According to the report, the collection of this revenue represents an increase of E645 899 in revenue collection, when compared to the same period in 2022.
A bulk of the revenue, according to the report, is collected through the Scholarship Recovery Programme, which accounts for 95 percent of the total revenue collected. An amount of E48 301 731 was collected under the scholarship programme by a company known as SVNet, a company that was tasked by the Ministry of Labour to collect the scholarship debts.
According to the report, when compared to the same period in 2022, the collection of the debts reflects an increase of E1 907 555. However, the Ministry also encountered challenges during this period. It recorded a decrease of 28 percent regarding inspections done in 2023 and 2022. Last year, the Ministry made 1 242 inspections, compared to 1 586 inspections done in 2022.
Lack of adequate resources is cited as a result of the decline. The Department of Social Security, under the Ministry, is looking for a suitable existing entity to house the Unemployment Benefit Scheme. Options are between Eswatini National Provident Fund (ENPF) and the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF).
