No, Mashaba, Joburg councillors aren’t giving themselves pay rises – Makhubo

Reports that Joburg Mayor Geoff Makhubo is planning to give himself and councillors a hefty pay rise in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis are false, the mayor’s office has said.

“This is based on a false statement made by the former Executive Mayor of the City and leader of the People’s Dialogue, Herman Mashaba,” the office said in a statement.

In fact, Makhubo told his caucus last week that he would not be accepting a salary increase and in line with the commitment he made at the beginning of the lockdown, when he donated a third of his salary to the Solidarity Fund, the proposed increase amount will be donated to the same fund, according to the statement.

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“Salaries and allowances of the Mayor and all other political office bearers in Johannesburg and across all municipalities, provinces and national spheres are determined by the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers, currently Chaired by Judge Leeuw.

“At no point does the Executive Mayor or Council determine their own salaries.

“The former Mayor is himself a beneficiary of the same benefits and determinations of the Independent Commission during his three years as Executive Mayor and had he taken time to familiarize himself with the laws and policies governing local government, he would have known that at no point does the Executive Mayor or Council determine salaries of the Executive and Councilors.”

Mashaba’s statements are not factual and are intended to deliberately mislead the public for cheap political points, the statement said.

“They are an act of desperation to give relevance to his new political outfit.”

“The Draft Budget of the City will be tabled to Council today, 09 July 2020, and it is a budget that is carefully crafted to ensure we respond to the immediate needs of the poor and vulnerable as well as to continue to provide reliable and efficient services to ratepayers and residents.

“The Budget to be presented before Council is without doubt affected by the significant reductions in revenue, as brought about by the pandemic. As a responsible City government, we will not over-commit to residents in the face of lower revenues and a continued lockdown,” said Makhubo.

(Compiled by Carina Koen)

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