The Democratic Alliance (DA) is concerned that eMalahleni, one of the worst performing municipalities in the country, is renumerating their senior managers at the maximum of a category 6 municipality.
A reply to a question submitted to the NCOP by the DA’s Sonja Boshoff regarding the remuneration of the Municipal Manager and other Senior Managers of the embattled eMalahleni Local Municipality, has revealed that they are in contravention of the notice on upper limits for remuneration of senior managers – as they are remunerating their senior managers at the maximum of a category 6 municipality.
Item 13(4) of the notice empowers a municipal council, in exceptional circumstances and only if good cause is shown, and after consultation with the MEC for CoGTA, to apply in writing to the Minister to waive any of the prescribed requirements set out in this notice.
However, according to information at the disposal of the Mpumalanga Department of CoGTA, there is no evidence that eMalahleni Local Municipality applied to the Minister to waive the remuneration of the Municipal Manager and Senior Managers from the minimum to the maximum of the applicable scales. This practice has been ongoing since the 2017/18 financial year.
In view of this gross contravention and the overpayment in terms of item 11(1) of the notice, the notice enjoins the municipality to recover any overpayment arising from the implementation of the notice.
As the Minister has only now been made aware of this malpractice, the Minister has requested the MEC for CoGTA in Mpumalanga to institute corrective measures.
The DA in the province is surprised that one of the worst performing municipalities in the country saw it fit through a council resolution to approve these enormous remuneration packages. This expenditure could have gone a long way to assist in alleviating the lives and livelihoods of the poor and could have gone a long way to assist in settling the exorbitant Eskom Bill which now stands at approximately R5 billion.
The councillors who approved this irregular expenditure should also be held accountable as they were aware that they are in contravention of the notice. Furthermore, the provincial MEC for CoGTA, Busisiwe Shiba, should also be held to account as it is clear that she has no idea of what is going on in her department or at this municipality.
This matter will be followed by the DA to ensure that those who have irregularly benefitted from this contravention are held to account and that the overpayments are recovered.