President Cyril Ramaphosa may have to decide in the coming week whether he accepts his and other politicians’ four percent salary increase, while Cosatu has called the new proposal scandalous.
The Independent Commission for Remuneration of Public Office Bearers has recommended to Ramaphosa that all politicians from councillors up to the head of state receive a four percent salary hike, which will be backdated to April this year if approved.
Judicial officers, including judges and magistrates as well as traditional leaders, will also get the same rise.
Head of the commission’s secretariat, Peter Makapan, told Independent Media on Saturday that a meeting with Ramaphosa was scheduled for the coming week and it would be clear then whether or not the head of state accepted the recommendation.
The commission has recommended a salary increase of nearly R120 000 a year for Ramaphosa, which would take his annual pay from almost R3 million to above R3.1m.
Deputy President David Mabuza, Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, his deputy Raymond Zondo, Supreme Court of Appeal president Mandisa Maya, National Assembly speaker Baleka Mbete and National Council of Provinces chairperson Thandi Modise are in line for annual increases of over R100 000 each.
Cabinet ministers and premiers will receive increases above R90 000 a year. The country’s biggest trade union federation has described the proposed salary increases as a sign of unethical leadership at a time of value added tax, fuel and everything rocketing.
These people (politicians, judges and traditional leaders) “want that VAT for themselves”, according to Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla.
Pamla said it was shocking that the commission could recommend salary increases for the elite, while there were moves to cut thousands of public service jobs and looming retrenchments at state-owned entities such as the SABC, Telkom and Eskom.
“We expect President Ramaphosa not just to reject the recommendations but to scold these people (the commission),” he added.