By Lindsay Dentlinger
A backdated average salary increase of 11 percent awaits municipal councillors in the new year, which will put the total annual salary of the council's top earner, Mayor Helen Zille, at R858 260.
The Minister of Provincial and Local Government, Sicela Shiceka, has by way of a notice in the Government Gazette instructed that the increases be backdated to July. Councillors received only 7 percent in 2008 and an average of 5,75 percent in 2007.
In 2009 Zille's salary will be almost R200 000 more than when she took office in March 2006, when her salary was R669 214. The mayor's salary comprises a basic salary of R643 695 and a vehicle allowance of R214 564.
Deputy Mayor Grant Haskin (ACDP) and Speaker of council Dirk Smit (FF+) will each earn annual salary packages of R686 607.
The 10 members of the mayoral committee, 23 sub-council chairs and council whip Anthea Serritslev will earn salaries of R643 694.
The new salaries of the majority of ordinary full-time councillors do not appear in the gazette notice and Shiceka's office did not respond to queries on what their new salary packages would be.
The 174 ordinary full-time councillors in the Cape Town city council currently earn annual salaries of R279 610.
The city's mayoral committee will have to deliberate on the affordability of the salary increases to the coffers of the City of Cape Town before the council will be asked to endorse them at its first meeting of the new year, in January.