Cash-strapped Mangaung to pay R54 million for political staff, including R20 000 for tea lady

Hot on the heels of the ghost worker scandal, the troubled Mangaung Metro has approved mouth-watering salaries for 94 political staff, much to the disdain of opposition parties.

Councillors accuse the ANC-led coalition of disregarding residents who yearn for quality services.

At least 70 people are earmarked for the offices of Mayor Gregory Nthatisi, the deputy mayor who is yet to be elected, speaker Maryke Davies and council whip Nikelo Vumile, at a cost of R37.9 million.

An additional 24 staffers have been added to the list – a deviation that has to be approved by Cogta MEC Moses Makume, and will cost at least R16 million.

These include chiefs of staff, personal assistants, tea ladies and cleaners, private secretaries, protocol officers and special advisors, among others.

‘Salaries too high for struggling metro’

Some of the positions are seemingly duplicates but with different remuneration, such as office manager and office support for the speaker.

ALSO READ: Fresh elections only way to save ‘collapsed’ Mangaung metro, court told

Opposition parties have lambasted the ANC for the high salaries, which include tea servers who will bag at least R20 000 a month.

The Economic Freedom Fighters’ (EFF’s) chairperson in Mangaung, Gopolang Dipale, says the ANC is using municipal funds to take care of each other.

“There’s no ANC decision in Mangaung that makes sense. What is the main reason for such exorbitant salaries?

“Mangaung doesn’t have money for such high salaries. I won’t be surprised to find that the tea lady gets R10 000 and the rest goes to the ANC. This is more of their factional politics at play,” he says.

These are the annual salaries for some of the other posts:

• Mayor’s office (nine staffers costing R8.1 million): head of the mayor’s office – R1.5 million, special advisor – R1.6 million, community liaison officer – R557 000
• Deputy mayor’s office (five staffers at R3.1 million): office head – R1.5 million, secretary – R541 000, personal assistant – R1.5 million
• Speaker (54 staffers at R14.2 million): 21 ward committee clerks – R6.2 million combined, office head – R1.6 million, public participation coordinator – R1 million, three tea ladies/cleaners – R253 000 each, driver/bodyguard – R557 000, office manager -R1.3 million, researcher – R779 00, office support -R1.3 million.
• Council whip (two staffers at R1.5 million): Senior admin officer – R1 million, senior secretary – R506 000.

Government ‘allowing the extravagance’

The Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Afrikan Alliance of Social Democrats (AASD) accuse national government representative Gugu Malaza of “signing off on ANC corruption”.

Malaza received a cold reception when she arrived last year as part of the national intervention team to get Mangaung’s finances back on track.

Councillors lashed at Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana during a council meeting last year for bringing in “tainted officials”.

RELATED: Mangaung councillors lambast Godongwana for deploying ‘tainted’ officials

They were referring to Malaza, who was fired from the SABC as CFO and Mxolisi Nkosi, a former municipal manager in northern KwaZulu-Natal’s uMkhanyakude District Municipality who was suspended in August last year, over “damning reports by the Auditor-General”.

Malaza was also suspended by the Ekurhuleni metro while CFO in 2018 for alleged non-disclosure of vital information.

AASD councillor Lucky Mongale said the Mangaung salaries were “a cut and paste” from some other municipalities.

“The national representative [Malaza] is seemingly not here to help with costs containment, she is here on a holiday.

“It’s unacceptable that this is happening under their watch. A researcher is earning a million rand, the same as a manager.

“This means that no job evaluation was done, this is just copied and pasted from what is being done in Johannesburg, without comparing the situation of municipalities. This mushrooming of costs is spiralling out of control.”

‘Not a single report from Cogta team’

According to DA caucus leader Johan Pretorius, Malaza and Nkosi have not tabled any reports in council, a year after their appointment.

“Of particular concern is the abuse of Section 139 interventions for political gain rather than genuine attempts to enhance service delivery.

“Malaza is a source of much controversy back at the SABC and Ekurhuleni. The council has not received a single report from her and her team.”

FF Plus councillor Elizabeth Snyman-van Deventer said the appointments were unnecessary.

“Two of the most important units – the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) and the IDP are understaffed. It’s unacceptable.

“The two can’t function, but political offices gets bloated with unnecessary staff.”

‘No technical staff, tools’

The appointments come as the municipality is yet to hire senior managers for crucial departments, such as water, sanitation and waste management.

Mangaung made headlines last year when it emerged that ANC cadres were drawing huge salaries while sitting at home.

Corrupt syndicates and an entrenched patronage system have plagued the municipality for decades under the ANC’s watch.

Sewerage spills onto the streets, poor road conditions and uncollected waste are the order of the day in the Free State’s only metro.

According to Snyman-van Deventer, there is a serious shortage of experienced technical staff and a lack of vehicles and tools for workers.

In correspondence letters seen by The Citizen, Nthatisi requested Cogta Minister Thembi Nkadimeng last month for yet another deadline extension to appoint senior managers.

Nkadimeng granted the extension a few days later on the condition that Nthatisi submits a revised timeframe and regular updates on the filling of the posts.

ALSO READ: Mangaung’s ‘remarkable mess’ needs a ‘total overhaul’, not just political appointments