DISPATCH FRIDAY - 28 October 2016
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Salary raise for non-performing Elias Motsoaledi Managers The South African Local Government Association has recently issued a circular in reference to the framework for the salary adjustments of Senior Managers in the municipalities including Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality. The circular states that it is guided by a framework where various factors were taken into consideration before the recommended increase is implemented. According to opposition councillor in Elias Motsoaledi, Seun Mogotji, Senior Managers in the municipality should not get a raise because they performed very poor and do not comply with most of the obligations considered in the circular. “The council approved an 8% increase after the item was tabled in the council by the Municipal Manager Minah Maredi without explaining the conditions of the circular to the councillors. Elias Motsoaledi managers do not qualify to get salary increase as the circular stated that the council has the obligation to consider some factors when deciding on the actual award of the cost of living adjustment as proposed,” he said. Mogotji said some of the factors are that the municipality will be able to afford the adjustments by looking at the state of their funds including; Micro-Economic Policy, inflation, productivity,
comparability and Back to Basics Program. It is clear that Elias Motsoaledi is lacking in all these spheres. The councillor said the municipality has received a disclaimer in its latest Audit Report and is also under Special Investigating Unit (SIU) which contradicts the conditions of the circular in terms of salary increase. “It is stated that if a particular municipality receives a persistent poor audit outcomes and regressions for ideal audit outcomes, it generally present serious contradictions to the principles in the Back to Basics Program.” “Poor audit also affect in the Accountability Framework and that the municipality that is further characterized by disclaimers, adverse audit findings as well as non-submissions of
annual financial statements, should give consideration as to whether it is proper or appropriate to grant salary increase to its Senior Managers who are primarily discharged with the responsibility for improving and sustaining such dismal organizational performance,” added Mogotji. He said Elias Motsoaledi is depending on grants from the Treasury to pay its operational expenses and fails on its revenue collection. He added the municipality is characterized by irregular expenditures where Senior Management failed to act upon. “In the past two years, the municipality has lost R113 Million in irregular, fruitless, wasteful and unauthorized expenditure. The municipality is also under SIU investigations for misappropriation and mismanagement of public funds.
Salary adjustments to Section 56/57 Senior Managers is been awarded to compensate them for their ability to deliver a good sound financial management and good governance,” explained Mogotji. He furthered said they will dispute the increase because Senior Managers in Elias Motsoaledi do not deserve it. “As the Bolsheviks Party of South Africa we demand that the salary increases be suspended and payments made to the Senior Managers starting from 1 July 2016, be refunded to the municipality as none of the managers are entitled and deserve the increase, as according to the prerequisites detailed in the SALGA Circular,” concluded Councillor Mogotji. Elias Motsoaledi Municipality was not available for comment at time of going to print.