BY BANELE MAGONGO
MBABANE – Minister for Home Affairs Princess Lindiwe pleads with Members of Parliament (MPs) to approve a budget allocation of E207 100 224 for her Ministry for the incoming 2024/25 financial year.
The Minister made this plea yesterday when she presented the annual budget performance report of the Ministry of Home Affairs for the 2023/24 financial year to the House of Assembly Portfolio Committee for the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The report covered the ministry’s revenues, expenditures, achievements, and challenges during the financial year. The E207 100 224 covers the projected recurrent budget for the year of E187 100 224, with an additional allocation of E20 000 000 for the modernization of civil registration and immigration systems. The proposed budget was debated by the MPs who are members of the Portfolio Committee yesterday. The outcomes of the debate are to be tabled next week Wednesday and the adoption and passing of the budget might be done on Thursday next week.
Members of the Ministry of Home Affairs House of Assembly porfolio committee following the proceedings
The report indicated that the Ministry of Home Affairs generated revenues ranging from E11 042 420 to E13 507 970 in the first and second quarters. However, revenue declined in the last two quarters of the financial year, attributed to a slowdown in growth in the number of permits, citizenships, travel documents, and identification services.
According to the report, the Ministry of Home Affairs was allocated a released budget of E169 702 579 for the financial year. However, the actual total expenditure amounted to E175 987 251, which represents an over-expenditure of four percent on the budget. It is said that the ministry was able to achieve its objectives and make significant progress.
She stated that, a key achievement of the ministry was the creation of 35 new posts, which enabled the ministry to take over the management and operation of three border posts that were previously under the Royal Eswatini Police Services.
The report stated that the mopping exercise in the Lubombo and Shiselweni regions was successfully completed. This exercise aimed to ensure that civil registration and vital statistics records were accurate and up-to-date. As a result, a total of 18,354 births were registered in the two regions. The report’s findings and achievements were presented to the Minister of Home Affairs, who then proposed a budget for the 2024/25 financial year.
