Durban - The ANC could suffer a blow in next year’s local government elections if provincial headmen or izinduna are not paid their salaries as per President Jacob Zuma’s recent proclamation.
The headmen are planning a march to Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) offices on Tuesday to seek answers to why they have not been paid their salaries.
If no satisfactory response is forthcoming, the headmen have threatened to disrupt the elections.
Vusumuzi Mthethwa, induna from KwaNyavu in Mkhambathini, and spokesman for Ubumbano Lwezinduna, said they felt undermined by Cogta after the department announced it did not have money to pay their salaries.
Despite Zuma’s recent proclamation that headmen should receive a standardised salary of R84 125 a year, the department said it had no budget for this.
“The department forgets that it is headmen who look after government interests in rural areas. We talk people into voting and explain issues where they (people) don’t understand. People rely on us because we take their issues and concerns to amakhosi where they are handled, yet we get such pathetic treatment as if we are nothing,” Mthethwa said.
He said it was disturbing that Zuma would sign a proclamation without checking the “kitty” first. Headmen in other provinces are paid about R6 000 to R9 000 a month.
He said when Umzimkhulu was transferred from the Eastern Cape to KwaZulu-Natal, headmen moved over with their salaries.
“Why would the president make a proclamation without ensuring that there is enough budget? Councillors earn a salary, yet we are sidelined. We will ensure our demands are met,” Mthethwa said.
He said they could not take the matter to the president because of protocol.
“We report our concerns to amakhosi, as per the protocol, and we respect them so we can’t overlook them and go to the president’s office. But this has gone too far, so we will ensure that our voices are heard,” he said.
Headmen were elected differently in different areas. In some tribal authorities they were elected by amakhosi while in others they were elected by the people while amakhosi played an observer role. When the government started proclaiming salaries in 2006, provincial headmen had not been receiving salaries. Instead they received monthly stipends of R1 300.
Mthethwa said there were more than 2 000 izinduna in the province and the department would need about R171 million to cover their salaries.
Amakhosi earn about R189 000 annually, and Cogta is responsible for all these salaries.
“This year Cogta said there are too many headmen in the province. For us this translates to an increased budget from the national government. The president must explain this or government will be dealt a heavy blow come next year’s elections,” Mthethwa said.
Political analyst, Protas Madlala, said failure to pay the headmen could come back to haunt the ANC in next year’s local government elections.
“Headmen have influence in their rural communities and if they keep to their word, they could deal the ANC a heavy blow in the elections,” he said.
ANC provincial secretary, Sihle Zikalala, could not be reached for comment.
His assistant, Bongani Maduna, said he had been in meetings the entire day.
Cogta MEC, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, was also in a meeting.
Daily News