Durban - Councillors and local government officials will soon be receiving their annual salary increases. This will mean salaries of R429 997 a year for municipal councillors and R881 426 a year for a Speaker.
This is according to a recommendation by the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers, published in the Government Gazette last month, of an increase of between 4 percent and 7 percent for those earning less than R1 million a year, backdated to July 1.
It would mean that city mayor James Nxumalo’s salary would remain at R1 045 626 a year, while his deputy, Nomvuzo Shabalala, and Speaker Logie Naidoo would each get a 4 percent increase that would move them up to R881 426.
Executive committee members and chief whips would each get R837 972 after a 5 percent increase and municipal councillors would, after a 7 percent increase, earn R429 997 a year.
Provincial executives’ salaries, including that of the premier, would not change as they each earned more than R1m a year.
However, those of the deputy chairman of committees, the deputy chief whip of the majority party, the chief whip of the largest minority party and the leader of a minority party would see a 4 percent increase to R1 039 321.
Each member of the provincial legislature would get R895 218, while the parliamentary counsellor to the king and the whip would get R924 958 a year.
Traditional leaders would also be getting increases that would push their remuneration up to R80 875 a year for headmen/headwomen, R192 013 for traditional leaders and R1 017 454 a year for the king.
Discussed
eThekwini Municipality spokes-man Thabo Mofokeng said the process of reviewing salaries for councillors had not yet been finalised and was still being discussed at a national level.
Lillian Develing, the chairwoman of the Confederation of Mistbelt Ratepayers and Residents Associations, and the Hillcrest Ratepayers Association, said she wished the same percentages could be applied when officials decided on water and electricity increases.
“Life is becoming very expensive for ratepayers. My only request for all officials who don’t give a lot of effort to their jobs is to start doing so. Then we will not complain about their salaries.”
The Mercury