Meaty salary hikes for municipal councillors and mayors

Despite President Cyril Ramaphosa, his cabinet, and parliamentarians pledging a third of their salaries to the national Solidarity Fund to alleviate the suffering caused by Covid-19 and the lockdown, metro council officer-bearers will be smiling all the way to the bank with huge upper limit salary hikes.

A government Gazette signed by Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affair Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma showed the upper limits of the annual total remuneration packages for full-time councillors would rise to higher levels from 1 July.

The executive mayors, deputy mayors, speakers, members of the mayoral committee (MMCs), whips, chairpersons of sub-council, and chairpersons of Section 70 Committees have been earmarked for increases.

Metro mayors would get an increase of up to R1,404,260 per annum from R1,350,250 in the last financial year, deputy mayors and speakers are set to receive up to R1,134,108 from R1,090,488.

MMCs, whips and chairpersons of sub-councils would get R1,068,312 from R1,027,223 while chairpersons of Section 79 committees would receive R1,036,974. A councillor representing the South African Local Government Association (Salga) on local, provincial and national structures, would be paid an allowance of R1,103.23 per day per irrespective of the number of meetings on a specific day.

Also included in the new packages were an additional R300 per month for data bundles and R3,400 for cellphone allowances.

The hikes are in stark contrast to the call by Ramaphosa that other structures of government and political parties should emulate the Cabinet, by sacrificing a part of their salaries to donate to the Solidarity Fund.

Salga CEO Xolile George defended the increases.

He said the remuneration packages of councillors were far lower than those of ministers and parliamentarians and therefore their contributions to the Solidarity Fund could not be the same.

“The reality is that councillors do not enjoy the same perks and privileges as ministers and MECs and MPs. Ministers can afford… to have a portion of their salaries given,” he said.

However, George said they had rather proposed that councillors and workers must contribute their salary and wage increases into a Municipal Solidarity Fund for three months. Talks were underway with the municipal unions, Samwu and Imatu so that employees should also come on board.

“This will serve as a seed fund for developmental purposes such as taking care of street people, destitute people, and families in the community and vulnerable groups like women and children, and giving vouchers to hawkers who were unable to make income. The Municipal Fund will be a localised response of the municipality directed purposefully to specific issues and going beyond the Covid-19 to social issues,” George said.

He said the fund would be managed by a joint committee comprising representatives from the municipality, business, labour and the community. It is envisaged that the fund would be audited by the auditor-general.

“The increases for councillors are not born out of the Covid-19 but were determined annually by the remuneration commission. Otherwise, councillors are the lowest paid of all the public representatives,” George said.

The Economic Freedom Fighters and City of Ekurhuleni mayor Mzwandile Masina responded and offered to donate to the fund. EFF president Julius Malema said all EFF public representatives – at all levels- would contribute a third of their salaries to the fund. Masina offered to donate 33% of his monthly salary over the next three months with senior metro executives including the speaker and chief whip and senior management expected to give part of their salaries to the fund.

United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa said the party’s public representatives would also donate a section of their salaries.

– ericn@citizen.co.za

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