Parliament – The majority of former municipal councillors entitled to a once-off gratuity have been paid at a cost of well over R200 million, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen said on Thursday.
"Since the local government election, we have seen new councillors coming into office to replace approximately 5 000 who did not return," Van Rooyen said in a media briefing ahead of him tabling his budget in Parliament later on Thursday afternoon.
"To this effect the majority of the qualifying non-returning councillors were thus far paid their once-off gratuity to an amount of R260 million."
Last year, Van Rooyen, in a parliamentary question, said over R309 million had been set aside for the gratuity payments.
The Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers recommended that only councillors who had served for 24 months of uninterrupted service before last year's local government elections qualified for the gratuity.