By Zweli Martin Dlamini

Mthunzi Shabangu, the newly appointed Principal Secretary(PS) in the Ministry of Public Service released a Circular directing civil servants to always be on decent or formal clothes when reporting for duty.

Perhaps let me state that, I am not against the Government Circular that seeks to enforce professionalism in the public service but, particularly concerned with its timing and target audience.

The document is directed to civil servants who are financially broke because their employer refused to implement a salary review for over ten(10) years, civil servants need money to buy clothes.

It is important to state, emaSwati by their nature are very sensitive about their image(kwesaba lihlazo), some of these civil servants are forced by the situation to report for duty wearing clothes of poor quality, they are financially broke.

Now, it is unjust for the PS to mock civil servants in this manner, we are expecting a fair salary review from him not useless or irrelevant Circulars.

Government is underpaying employees in this country, we have teachers who hold Degrees but they are earning five thousand Rands(R5000.00), some of us with children can tell that with this money, you can’t feed three(3) kids for the whole month, pay transport to school, rent, take care of your parents and yourself and then, buy decent clothes.

Some teachers are a mockery in the various schools, wearing torned clothes and we blame the Tinkhundla Government for their plight.

The Principal Secretary must work towards implementing the salary review so that, civil servants can have money to buy decent clothes and feed themselves.

The poverty situation is literally deteriorating in this country and therefore, we don’t want to see the very same Government that reduced the standard of living for public servants behaving as if everything is normal.

I saw a comment defending Government saying formal clothes are not expensive, you can get two(2) shirts with one hundred Rands(R100.00), this is the stupidity that we must eradicate in this country through consistent dissemination of accurate information.

Most civil servants are highly educated, Government must pay decent salaries as per their qualifications so that, these civil servants can afford decent clothes and be presentable.

Indeed, most cheap clothes are of poor quality and it’s a mockery to expect an underpaid qualified employee to report for duty wearing quality clothes.

Mr PS, if you want to have a child and you have discussed this with your wife, you can’t then blame her for not falling pregnant knowing very well that, you have been avoiding to have sex with her, you know what needs to be done first.

In conclusion, let me advise the PS to release the money, his concern regarding decent clothes will be automatically be addressed.

In siSwati what the Principal Secretary did is known as “kuhhalatisa”, kufana nekugcoka timphahla letidulile kani uya emgcwabeni. Lesimo lesikhona senhlupheko kulelive sichaza kutsi emaSwati ungawabona ahamba aphefumula kani kadze afa. Nabaya emsebentini kufana nekuya emgcwabeni, ngeke ugcoke timphahla letidulile nawuya emgcwabeni, nawenta njalo usuke uyohhalatisa labantfu.

There’s currently no motivation and pride in being a civil servant, let’s have the salary review to restore the dignity of the public servants.