Unisa has defended the salaries it pays to its top nine officials, all of whom earn more than President Thabo Mbeki.
It emerged on Tuesday that Unisa's vice-chancellor, Professor Barney Pityana, is paid a salary package of R1.57-million a year, while Pro vice-chancellor Professor Neo Mathebe earns R1.6-million.
The figures emerged in a written reply by Education Minister Naledi Pandor to a parliamentary question from the Democratic Alliance's Helen Zille. Mbeki earns R837 899 and he gets a car allowance of R279 299 - which gives a total of approximately R1.12-million. According to the adjusted estimates of national expenditure issued in October, Mbeki's "adjusted appropriation" was R1.075-million, while the salary of the deputy president was R918 000.
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In addition, Unisa's registrars, Professors Tony Links and Louis Molamu, take home more than R1-million each a year, while five of the six vice-principals also earn more than the president. Unisa spokesperson Doreen Gough explained that the salary packages might seem excessive as the figures were based on complete packages that worked on a cost-to-company basis.
The packages include housing and vehicle subsidies, as well as the university's contributions to the employee's pension and medical aid, making it "sound much more than what a person actually puts in his wallet". Some Unisa employees, pointed out that Mbeki's package did not include all the "other benefits" he enjoyed, or a housing subsidy. Neither did it reflect how much the state was contributing towards his pension and medical aid, they said.
Spokesmen at other universities also claimed that the salaries Unisa paid to its top brass were not that excessive. Although no one could give figures out of hand, it was pointed out that in 2003 the vice-chancellor of the University of the Witwatersrand, Prof Loyiso Nongxa, was also offered a package in excess of R1-million when he was appointed.
Pandor earlier commented that there was no "current investigation" into executive salaries at universities, saying she was waiting for the outcome of an investigation by Higher Education South Africa. But Zille, responding to top salaries at Unisa, expressed outrage. "It is beyond belief that a person who heads an institution that is subsidised largely by the taxpayer should earn more than the South African president.
"It is time that senior salaries across all institutions supported by the taxpayer be reviewed and made public so that there is accountability in the system," Zille added.
- This article was originally published on page 2 of The Mercury on November 23, 2005
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