The council's decision to increase the salaries of Makana Municipality's directors by 8.48% was met with mixed reactions from local political parties, with most agreeing that judging by their performance the directors did not deserve their increases.
The council's decision to increase the salaries of Makana Municipality's directors by 8.48% was met with mixed reactions from local political parties, with most agreeing that judging by their performance the directors did not deserve their increases.
ANC regional secretary Nosisa Siwendu said the party was not aware of the increases for municipal directors as the increases are determined by legislative and bargaining processes. “Increases in any workplace is a basic condition of service,” she added.
When asked how the new salaries will impact on service delivery in the municipal area, Siwendu said that as part of the directors' employment contracts they undertook to render services to the municipality. “Service delivery is non-negotiable, it is unconditional,” she emphasised.
ANC Youth League responded to the salary increases with a “very harsh warning” that the directors should “pull up their socks”. Regional chairperson Mthuthuzeli Matyumza said some of the directors are “useless” and cannot even say what they have done to deserve the increase.
“There are a lot of incapable employees in the municipality,” he said, citing the city’s frequent water outages as an example. Matyumza added that the ruling party's Makana sub-region met on Thursday to consider the salary increases for the municipal directors.
“We tried to find out whether the increases were a resolution by the local council or Salga [South African Local Government Association],” he explained. “The mayoral committee said it's a Salga resolution which the council had to approve.”
While the increase is in line with the decisions of the Public Sector Co-ordinating and Bargaining Council, Democratic Alliance chief whip in Makana Council, Michael Whisson said the directors did not deserve it. “None of the directors could reasonably claim productivity,” he said. “The case for a percentage increase is always based on the lowest paid workers,” he explained.
“It's unreasonable for senior managers to be paid a salary increase by percentage.” Whisson argued that a salary increase of a specific amount would address the inequalities left by the past as percentage increases only fuel inequalities in the public sector. He added that the increase would not improve service delivery at all.
Similar sentiments were expressed by the Azanian People's Organisation which does not support the increase, saying the municipality is underperforming. “Municipal activities all over the Eastern Cape leave our teeth screeching due to their poor record of service delivery,” explained Makana chairman Pakamisa Zatu.
“It's a shame when officials are getting salary increases when public sector employees are suffering because they are underpaid.” He argued that the municipality's projects that are meant to alleviate poverty in Grahamstown failed to bring about sustainable jobs and, instead, they present the municipality with opportunities to “exploit the poor”.
The new salaries of Makana Municipality's directors will see Municipal Manager Ntombi Baart earn a whopping R1,121-million per annum following the increase which was approved by the council behind closed doors last month.
However, Makana spokesperson Thandy Matebese said the salaries will be increased by 8% and backdated to 1 July 2010, and "not 8,48% which was received by other municipal employees". "The budget for 2010/11 salary increases was 9% on the 2009/2010 salary budget, therefore the money used for salaries in the current financial year is less than what was budgeted for," he added.
