Michael Nkalane
PATRICIA de Lille, Helen Zille and Marius Fransman have dismissed, as a publicity stunt, Tony Ehrenreich’s challenge to them to disclose their salaries and give to the poor.
Trade union leader and city councillor Ehrenreich disclosed his earnings at a press conference yesterday.
He told media representatives that he earned two monthly salaries: R24 000 from Cosatu and R26 000 from the city.
He challenged De Lille, Zille and Fransman to be transparent and to declare their income.
“I spend 50% of my income on social projects. The reason I do this is because I am already paid too huge a salary from Cosatu to serve the workers and I cannot in good faith take a second salary while so many are not given jobs.
“I know that De Lille and Zille both got huge allowances in addition to their multimillion-rand salaries, and I challenge them to declare their income and expenditure.”
De Lille’s spokesperson, Zara Nicholson, said:
“The mayor concentrates on actually working to help the poor, which is a full-time job that takes a lot more effort than Tony’s press conferences.
“The irony, however, is that this greed we inherited from apartheid is seducing many of our leaders and ruining our country with the deepening levels of corruption.”
Nicholson advised Ehrenreich to look at the ANC and President Jacob Zuma before his “media attention-seeking stunt”.
“Ehrenreich must remember that it is also the hundreds of millions of rand of taxpayers’ money from our residents and leaders which is spent on Nkandla,” she said.
Zille’s spokesperson, Michael Mpofu, said: “The premier follows a very disciplined programme of stewardship. And the very essence of stewardship is not to publicise it.”
Fransman said he appreciated what Ehrenreich was doing, but he suggested this be done quietly.
“I am from a Catholic background which emphasises giving to the needy. I do, but I don’t go public about it,” he said.