Secretary to Parliament Xolile George's salary has come under the spotlight. Photo: Twitter/@ParliamentofRSA
Shocking claims surfaced over the weekend of the “secret” approval of a 70% salary increase for Secretary to Parliament Xolile George. The hike catapulted his annual pay to an astronomical R4.4 million, an amount which even puts the salary of President Cyril Ramaphosa to shame.
George served as CEO of the South African Local Government Association (Salga) before applying for the role of Secretary to Parliament last year.
In a report, Sunday Times made the bombshell allegations National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and NCOP chair Amos Masondo “secretly” approved George’s increase and then misled Parliament regarding his salary.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has since called on deputy speaker Lechesa Tsenoli to launch an investigation into the Speaker through the Powers and Privileges Committee.
“Parliament approved the appointment of George in June 2022 based on the misleading information provided by the Speaker in Parliament. It is alleged that less than three months after his appointment, the Political Heads secretly agreed to raise Mr George’s salary from R2.6 million to R4.4 million, information which was not disclosed to Parliament. It remains officially undisclosed,” said DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube.
“The DA contends that there are a number of breaches of ethics, accountability, transparency requirement and misconduct by the Speaker,” he added.
Parliament has hit back by calling its decision to review George’s salary “above board”.
In a statement, it said the review process was based on the recommendations of an independent expert on sustainable business and remuneration.
“The decision to review Mr Xolile George’s remuneration package was thorough, objective, and in line with longstanding practices. We remain committed to transparency and fairness in all our actions and decisions related to the well-being of our employees, including the Accounting Officer of Parliament,” it read.
Parliament said George’s reviewed salary was less than the R5 million he earned as Salga CEO, adding that the information is publicly available in its 2022/2023 annual report.
“There should be no perception of secrecy surrounding this matter. The review was conducted openly, in line with established procedures, and the resulting decisions were made with the utmost accountability and adherence to parliamentary standards.”
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A 3% salary increase was granted to other politicians this year with an average Minister of Parliament (MP) earning R1.2 million.
According to BusinessTech, Deputy President Paul Mashatile, as well as Mapisa-Nqakula and Masondo, are now earning R3 million annually.
While Ramaphosa’s salary has not been gazetted as yet, the budget for the Presidency in 2023/24 estimated that the president’s salary would remain at R4.2 million – R200,000 less than George.
Parlimentarians are also treated to a smorgasbord of tax-free benefits and perks, all paid for by taxpayers.
This includes over R3 billion worth of private VIP security, free electricity, water, transport, air travel, as well as multimillion rand state-owned mansions.
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