By Lebone Rodah Mosima
KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi has called on the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) to lobby for standardised pay for municipal councillors.
Buthelezi made the call while delivering the keynote address at the SALGA KwaZulu-Natal Members’ Assembly in Pietermaritzburg, saying that the current remuneration formula disadvantaged councillors from smaller municipalities because their pay was determined according to the size or grade of the municipality in which they served.
The current pay structure, including upper limits for municipal office-bearers, is determined each financial year under the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act.
Actual remuneration and allowances are capped according to factors including a municipality’s grade, financial capacity and population size, with municipalities categorised from Grades 1 to 6.
Buthelezi said the system resulted in councillors performing similar functions being paid differently.
“A Ward Councillor from a small or rural municipality has the same targets to achieve and is assessed at the same level as a councillor from a metro or urban municipality.
“Their duties and challenges are pretty much the same, and at some point, the councillor from a rural area has even more challenges. So why does the councillor from a metro get paid more? It is an injustice. The standard is the same for all other office-bearers, except in local government. Members of the Legislature, magistrates and others are paid the same regardless of the province or town they serve,” he said.
Buthelezi placed the responsibility on SALGA to lobby for the standardisation of councillors’ remuneration.
The Members’ Assembly also reflected on issues affecting local government as the term of the current cohort of councillors approaches its end.
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