Durban - Izinduna (headmen) in KwaZulu-Natal should not be popping the champagne corks just yet to celebrate a salary hike, announced by President Jacob Zuma this week.
The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) on Tuesday confirmed it did not have the estimated R171 million needed to pay the stipulated salaries to the province’s 2 039 izinduna.
It also emerged that the province had yet to pay izinduna since the government started proclaiming salaries for them in 2006.
It was reported on Tuesday that Zuma had on Monday decided to standardise salaries for izinduna, with a R84 125 flat rate annual salary, as recommended by the Commission for Remuneration of Public Office Bearers.
But all the province has ever paid has been a monthly R1 300 stipend to some izinduna, who attend traditional councils.
This is in contrast to the Eastern Cape and Mpumalanga, which are paying their headmen monthly salaries of about R9 000 and R6 700 respectively.
Cogta spokesman, Lennox Mabaso, said his department had noted the proclamation on the salaries.
“It is a matter that we are to engage on with the National Treasury so we can meet the requirements of the proclamation.
“In terms of our resources in the province, we don’t have such money,” Mabaso said.
He confirmed the izinduna “still needed to be paid salaries dating back to 2006”.
Nonzwakazi Swartbooi-Ntombela, chairwoman of the Cogta portfolio committee, welcomed the increases as a gesture by the ANC to take care of izinduna as one of the levels of traditional leadership.
“The problem is that in as much as the president signed the proclamation, we (KZN Cogta) have a problem of funds,” Swartbooi-Ntombela said.
She said the department’s R1.368 billion budget had been increased by a nominal 4.6 percent over the previous period.
Swartbooi said in the light of its limited finances, the department would have to find funds if it was to pay the salaries of izinduna.
For this to happen, Swartbooi-Ntombela said, some programmes or projects of the department would have to be stalled. This would be in addition to other projects that had already been put on hold.
Inkosi Phathisizwe Chiliza, chairman of the KZN House of Traditional Leaders, said traditional leaders were in full support of the salary increases.
“But, since the proclamations in 2006 nothing has happened in KwaZulu-Natal. It is time that government must comply with what the president has signed.”
He questioned why KwaZulu-Natal was lagging behind in paying izinduna while other provinces had complied.
“In each meeting they promise to pay with backpay from 2006 until now. I don’t have any hope that they will pay up,” Chiliza said.
Daily News