Public sector managers get R450 million salary increases, claims DA

Public Service and Administration Minister Ayanda Dlodlo allegedly awarded a R450 million salary increase for public sector managers.

According to the DA, this latest salary increase follows a R30 billion salary increase for lower levels of the public service last year.

“This deals a death blow to years of empty promises by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government that it would freeze the public sector wage bill to avert a full-blown debt crisis,” said DA MP and spokesperson on public service and administration, Dr Leon Schreiber.

The cushy increases come just days after Ramaphosa told the nation that government couldn’t create jobs for the more than 10 million unemployed, and left the mammoth task up to the private sector to solve.

“Ramaphosa’s administration has just taken R450 million in taxpayer money out of the pockets of the private sector and handed it over to the very millionaire cadres who ran both the state and economy into the ground,” said Schreiber.

Even with unemployment at its highest ever rate and after two years of lockdowns that destroyed millions of livelihoods, Ramaphosa has seemingly placed political interests ahead of the needs of the country.

The DA believes this R450 million salary increase is aimed at buying support ahead of the upcoming ANC elective congress expected to take place in December.

Ramaphosa is running for a second term as ANC president. He is facing competition from Tourism Minister and struggle legacy candidate, Lindiwe Sisulu, who has thrown her hat in the ring for the top job.

“This unaffordable increase entails a monthly pensionable cash allowance of R1 695 for salary levels 13 to 15, R1 818 for salary level 16, and a salary increase of 1.5% for levels 13 to 16 – all backdated to April 2021,” said Schreiber.

The salary increase paid to the 712 highest paid managers (level 16) in the public service and backdated to April 2021 will cost South Africans over R38 million.

This amounts to a pay-out of over R53 000 per person for a total of 11 305 senior ANC managers.

These calculations are based on a parliamentary reply on salary distribution in the public service that the DA received in October 2021, with the breakdown as follows:

“In the wake of his undertaking in SONA to put the private sector first, this is a grave betrayal of South Africa’s hardworking private-sector workers and job creators.

“The DA will submit an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to ascertain whether all legal requirements were met before this outrageous increase was announced,” concluded Schreiber.

Compiled by Narissa Subramoney

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