16 Nov 2017

Assistant Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Thato Kwerepe says government has engaged a consultant to review the Public Service salary structure with its associated allowances and performance management.  

Answering a question from Gaborone North Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Kwerepe said the consultant  was expected to start before the end of the current financial year.

He said the exercise would be informed by the current and future needs of the public service, which should take into consideration issues of affordability and sustainability, which could be based solely on the country being middle income since each country would have its own priority areas.

Mr Kwerepe said the level of public service salaries was determined by the size of the public service, the country’s economic outlook and competing priorities and demands that the available resources had to meet whilst bearing in mind issues of sustainability and maintenance.

He said the public service’s four per cent salary increment for this financial year was informed by affordability and sustainability given the available resources.

The assistant minister said he was not aware of the proposed 60 per cent increase for the president.

MP Haskins Nkaigwa had asked the minister if there were any plans to review the public service salaries in line with other middle income countries.

He further wanted to know why salaries for civil servants in Botswana were lower despite the riches of the country and further asked what informed the four per cent salary increment for civil servants and the proposed 60 per cent increase to the president’s annual salary. BOPA