Swaziland /eSwatini should open up its national budget
for greater scrutiny. It is not always clear how money is allocated, the latest
review of ‘fiscal transparency’ in the kingdom, published
by the United States Government reveals.
It says not all of the budget is subjected to audit
and oversight. Spending by King Mswati III, the absolute monarch, and his royal
family should be scrutinised.
The U.S. Department of State
2018
Fiscal Transparency Report reviewed the year 2017. It said that while
budget documents ‘provided a general picture of government
revenues and expenditures, revenues from natural resources and land leases were
not included in the budget. Expenditures to support the royal family were
included in the budget but lacked specific detail and were not subject to the
same oversight as the rest of the budget.’
It added, ‘Information in the budget was considered
generally reliable.’
In Swaziland King Mswati controls natural mineral
rights. He holds 25 percent of mining royalties ‘in trust’ for the Swazi
Nation. The government also takes 25 percent. The Fiscal Transparency Report stated, ‘Criteria
and procedures for awarding natural resource extraction licenses and contracts
were outlined in law, but the opacity [lack of clarity] of the procedures,
which involve submitting applications for licenses directly to the King, cast
doubt on whether the government actually followed the law in practice.
‘Basic information on natural resource extraction
awards was not always publicly available.
‘eSwatini’s fiscal transparency would be improved by
providing more detail on expenditures and revenues in the budget, particularly
for off-budget accounts, natural resource revenues, land leases, and royal
family expenditures; subjecting the entire budget to
audit and oversight; demonstrating applicable laws are followed in practice for
awarding natural resource extraction contracts and licenses; and making basic
information on natural resource extraction awards publicly available.’
The
United States releases annual reports on fiscal transparency for countries that
receive U.S. assistance to ‘help ensure U.S. taxpayer money is used
appropriately’. It said Swaziland had shown no improvement in fiscal
transparency since the last report in 2017.
The
United States is not alone in expressing concerns about the lack of information
on Swaziland’s national budget.
In
2017 Swaziland received a score of three out of a possible total 100 for budget
openness. It received zero
points in a section on public participation as there were no opportunities for
the public to engage in budget processes. The Transparency Open Budget Survey was
produced by the International Budget Partnership (IBP). The 2017 report is the
most recent available.
In an 80-page report IBP revealed that the Swaziland members of parliament provided weak oversight of the budget. In Swaziland political parties are banned from taking part in elections and the Prime Minister, Cabinet and top judges and public servants are all chosen by the King.
In an 80-page report IBP revealed that the Swaziland members of parliament provided weak oversight of the budget. In Swaziland political parties are banned from taking part in elections and the Prime Minister, Cabinet and top judges and public servants are all chosen by the King.
IBP said the Swazi parliament was unable to discuss the budget properly
because it was not provided with sufficient information. It said the
government’s budget proposal should be available two months before the start of
the budget year.
See also
Swaziland budget repeats failed economic policies
of the past
Swaziland
Finance Minister threatens public sector job cuts if workers don’t back his
budget
Gap
between rich and poor in Swaziland continues to grow, Finance Minister reports
