Politicians scoff at Matlanyane’s 2%

BOKANG MOSHOESHOE

MASERU – Opposition parties’ leaders have scoffed at the 2025/2026 budget estimates which saw civil servants pocketing a mere two percent increase on their salaries.

The Democratic Congress’s (DC) Thabiso Lekitla and All Basotho Convention’s (ABC) Nkaku Kabi were very stern on condemning the paltry increment.

The budget speech by finance minister, Dr Retšelisitsoe Matlanyane, came with surprising changes that left some politicians and the nation in amazement, in particular the proposed increase for civil servants’ salaries by two per cent across the board.

Matlanyane stated that “this adjustment is made so as to preserve the workers take home pay” an attitude the two politicians said was laughable looking at how much the minister said would increase salaries.

“For a few past years the salary adjustment changes were a bit corresponding to the standard of living. Currently inflation is very high, this adjustment makes no difference at all,” Thabiso Lekitla, DC legislator, said.

Lekitla stressed that for efficiency at work “one thing that gets to motivate workers is getting a hike. It helps them to be even more productive.

“Not giving employees a satisfying hike will lead to corruption . . . as this will be their other way of surviving. They would end up soliciting bribes to do their work. Terrible!’’ Lekitla remarked.

ABC leader, Nkaku Kabi also laughed off the two percent increase saying the hike was superficial noting “in reality the take home of civil servants is going to be lower than what they had before”.

“This does not make sense economically as commodity prices are skyrocketing,” Kabi said, adding that Basotho should reflect and remember the good old days of the ABC.

During ABC led administration of 2022/2023 civil servants under different groupings the likes of Lesotho Police Staff Association, Lesotho Public Service Association etc. wrote a joint letter to then Prime Minister, Dr Moeketsi Majoro, requesting him to ensure that the financial estimates would guarantee their salaries would be pecked at not less than 25 percent increase.

Then Minister of Finance, Thabo Sophonea, tabled a budget proposal for five percent adjustment across the board “as the government could only afford a modest adjustment to restrain further growth of the wage bill”.

Kabi said, at least they tried.