ETHEKWINI Municipality’s City manager, Musa Mbhele, is going to get a R1.3m annual salary increase if the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) gives its final stamp of approval.
That will be on top of the R2.6m per annum, or R217 272 per month that he currently takes home. Should Cogta minister Thembi Nkadimeng approve, Mbhele will earn R374 878 per month, or R3.9m per annum. Mbhele was announced as the new City manager on August 26, 2022.
Also read: Mbhele announced as new eThekwini manager
This came to light after the Ward 97 councillor and member of eThekwini’s executive committee, André Beetge, revealed what had been discussed at one of the council meetings. A majority of the parties in the council gave the salary a thumbs-up.
“We are appalled at eThekwini Municipality’s total disregard for its ratepayers. It is a documented fact that eThekwini’s outstanding debtors are at an all-time high of R25b, and there are loans of R8.8b that need to be serviced. Sewage continues to run down the streets, beaches from north to south remain closed, and revenue loss in electricity alone amounts to several hundreds of millions after the City ambitiously proposed an increase close to 22% in the original budget, which was then reduced to 18.49% and eventually settling at 15.1%,” said Beetge.
eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda is on record saying the City requires R110b to bring its infrastructure back to an acceptable standard before the City can be considered fully functional again.
“Mbhele will effectively be receiving a 66% pay increase in less than a year, yet when people ask for a community gym, speed bumps to keep their children safe, water tankers, for potholes to be fixed, or electricity so children can study, the municipality claims that there is no money,” said Beetge.
He added that there are already indications that deputy City managers’ packages will be coming under review to align with that of the municipal manager.
“It will be for the senior managers and the rest of the staff and not forgetting that there is also the individual performance bonuses for the City manager and deputy City managers that come into play as a separate item of remuneration,” he said.
eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Gugu Sisilana admitted that the council approved the upper limits of the remuneration package of the municipal manager pending the approval of Cogta.
“Currently, the City manager’s remuneration package is far below that of his peers. We wish to reassure residents that the City manager’s salary is in line with the upper limits of remuneration packages of municipal managers,” said Sisilana.
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