Along with laptops and their own offices, Makana councillors can look forward to a significant salary rise in the new year, and a proposed change in Council Speaker Rachel Madinda-Isaac's status from part-time to full-time could see her averaging an extra R16 000 or so a month.
Along with laptops and their own offices, Makana councillors can look forward to a significant salary rise in the new year, and a proposed change in Council Speaker Rachel Madinda-Isaac's status from part-time to full-time could see her averaging an extra R16 000 or so a month.
The increases were discussed during 2012's final Council meeting, last week and a 5.5% raise in salaries and allowances for councillors was approved, backdated to the start of this financial year, July 2012.
But while the councillors' pay rises are straightforward – the range is determined for each financial year by the South African Local Government Association (Salga) – the position with Madinda-Isaac is not as clear-cut. If she is put on permanent staff, her package will leap from R 300 000 to almost R 500 000 per annum, adding around R16 000 to her monthly income.
Council's first application to local government MEC Mlibo Qhoboshiyane regarding Madinda-Isaac was in May. Moves to put her on to a full-time salary scale were met with a firm no, with Qhoboshiyane citing Makana Municipality's financial instability.
The application earlier this year was for both Madinda-Isaac and ANC chief whip Vuyani Kolisi to be appointed full-time. In his response to the May application, Qhoboshiyane said: "I have considered your application and have not approved [it]… on the basis that the approval of full-time position results in additional expenditure, while your municipality is heavily dependent on government grants and equitable share to fund your operational expenditure."
The MEC said he would consider the application as soon as he was convinced the municipality had improved their finances. He declined the request to appoint Kolisi full time, saying the Chief Whip can be full-time only if there are 40 or more councillors in a municipality.
Motivating for a renewed effort to get Madinda-Isaac on to the full-time payroll, acting municipal manager Thembinkosi Myalato said the municipality had experienced phenomenal growth over the past few years, both administratively and politically.
He cited the increase in the number of wards and invariably the number of councillors. The office of the Speaker plays a very important role in the exercising political oversight and management of council affairs, Myalato explained.
According to the municipality's Finance department, the Speaker currently receives a provisional salary of R 214 000, a telephone allowance of R12 443 and transport allowance of R 71 347, bringing the total annual package to around R300 000.
The Finance department's input into the discussion was that if the 5.5% increase for councillors was accepted, the amount of R37 000 had to be found from the municipal budget to increase the Speaker's package.
It should be noted that the 2012/13 budget is extremely tight… this would be inadequate and savings will have to be sourced elsewhere in the budget during the adjustment process in January 2013.
Meanwhile, on top of these salary increases there was a general agreement by Council to provide laptops for all councillors so that they could document their meetings and archive information from their wards.
"We must move with technology – these laptops must become a working tool for them," Boma said. "We will look at the capacity of councillors and see if they are equipped to use them." Boma said the majority of councillors were computer literate.
Those who were not familiar with computers would be given basic training by staff members. Council also plans to provide office accommodation for all councillors next year. The determination of upper limits of salaries, allowances and benefits of different members of municipal councillors was released on 14 December last year.
Municipal spokesperson Mncedisi Boma confirmed that councillors' salaries would be increased by 5.5%. "It is a national determination by Salga and it is encouraged that councils budget for the upper limits of salaries. We have already budgeted 6%, so we planned for it so that we don't take from other budgets," Boma said.
Council will await a response from the MEC about the re-application of the full-time speaker.
