THE PUBLIC OFFICE BEARERS’ SALARIES
The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) notes that the 2,5% increase in the salaries of the Public Office Bearers (POBs) is equivalent to financing extravagance. The public office bearers include top management at municipalities, parliamentary leaders, members of national and provincial executives, judges, and traditional leaders.
Though a 2,5% increase is a small percentage increase compared to the 4,7% given to the hardworking, under-staffed public servants, its value is high considering the obscene salaries they get. Given their obscene salaries, this salary hike means nothing, but funding of splendour and luxurious lives public office bearers are leading.
In addition to the fat cheques they are getting in salaries, their expenses on housing, travel and telecommunications are covered in full or in part by allowances from government. Some of them are even entitled to personal protection whose bill is footed by government. This means these government benefits insulate them from effects of crime that is exacerbated by their neoliberal policies.
Sadly, the salary increases for public office bearers in municipalities, provincial government and national executive (cabinet) are tantamount to rewarding people for bungling the state through their incompetence, mismanagement, maladministration and corruption in the government departments and municipalities. We are rewarding people for collapsing public institutions, running down the public services to the ground and denying our people basic services. For instance, a hole in the middle of Bree Street in Johannesburg caused by last year’s explosion is unfixed for almost a year now. This is proof that leaders in municipalities are malfunctioning, and hiking their salaries is tantamount to rewarding failure.
SAFTU is expecting the Democratic Alliance (DA) to reject these salary increases precisely because it was at the forefront of opposing salary increases for public servants. It called for a wage freeze in the public service. It would be hypocritical of the DA if they were to accept the increase and not instruct their Chief Whip and leader to refuse to accept the salary adjustment.
