The government is set to spend hundreds of millions giving councillors who have not been re-elected, a three-month golden handshake.
The cabinet decision applies to all municipalities in the country.
The provincial cooperative governance department did not yet have final figures of the councillors who are supposed to be paid, or how much they would be paid.
In Buffalo City Metro it was not clear how many councillors in total would receive the bonus as the ANC had not yet finalised its PR list of who made the final cut.
In the DA, 10 councillors won’t be returning while from the PAC and COPE one each has been replaced.
As a Grade 6 municipality, BCM councillors take home at least R36000 monthly, so their packages will be R108000 each. For the 12 councillors known so far to be leaving, this is already R1.3-million without the ANC contingent.
In the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality, 36 councillors would receive “goodbye bonuses” of at least R60000 each depending on the positions they held.
About 25 of these were from the ANC and nine from the UDM, while others were from smaller parties.
That, combined with the BCM councillors, amounts to more than R3.3-million.
This is but a drop in the ocean as the province has 39 councils and the country 278.
The move was in line with an announcement made by the government on Friday that councillors who were not returned after the municipal elections earlier this month, would receive a once-off gratuity payment.
This after Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen – after consulting various stakeholders, including National Treasury – agreed with the cabinet to approve the payments.
As a result, National Treasury made available an amount of R309.3-million over this year’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for the payment of councillors.
Cogta national spokesman Legadima Leso said the exact number of councillors eligible to receive the gratuity and the amount of the gratuity would only be finalised after all municipal councils had been set up.
Leso said after that process, beneficiaries would be identified.
“Regardless of the number of councillors not returning to office, the department will have to stay within the budgeted amount of R309-million.”
Cogta MEC Fikile Xasa told the newspaper yesterday that the department would only know the exact number of councillors eligible for the exit packages during the course of this week.
“Officials have the gazette of those coming in. The Independent Electoral Commission has gazetted these councillors,” Xasa said.
BCM spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said about 98% names of incoming councillors were known by the metro.
“As for now, BCM is not 100% sure who will make it in the new council.”
He said there were outstanding names that were yet to be confirmed with the Independent Electoral Commission by other parties.
These included the ANC in BCM, which has yet to finalise the names of councillors to serve this term.
BCM’s ANC regional secretary Mkhangeli Maleki said the party had yet to finalise the names of those to serve in council.
“We are still embarking on internal processes. The deployment committee of the province has not sat…It would be premature for us to conclude – we would not like to venture into it as there are sensitivities and people are going to be affected.”
DA’s Kevin Mileham said the 10 councillors who would not be returning, included seven PR councillors and three ward councillors.
The PAC’s Jerome Mdyolo confirmed he was not returning.
Mdyolo has been replaced by Siviwe Tshabe.
COPE’s Ben Twelingca, who has been replaced by Nonceba Madikane, also said he was not returning.
KSD municipal spokesman Sonwabo Mampoza said he did not have numbers of councillors not returning but new councillors would be sworn in on Wednesday.
UDM provincial spokesman Mabandla Gogo said nine UDM councillors were not returning in KSD.
A response from the ANC in KSD had not been received at the time of writing. — msindisif@dispatch.co.za l See also page 4
Millions for councillor ’goodbyes’
The cabinet decision applies to all municipalities in the country.
The provincial cooperative governance department did not yet have final figures of the councillors who are supposed to be paid, or how much they would be paid.
In Buffalo City Metro it was not clear how many councillors in total would receive the bonus as the ANC had not yet finalised its PR list of who made the final cut.
In the DA, 10 councillors won’t be returning while from the PAC and COPE one each has been replaced.
As a Grade 6 municipality, BCM councillors take home at least R36000 monthly, so their packages will be R108000 each. For the 12 councillors known so far to be leaving, this is already R1.3-million without the ANC contingent.
In the King Sabata Dalindyebo Municipality, 36 councillors would receive “goodbye bonuses” of at least R60000 each depending on the positions they held.
About 25 of these were from the ANC and nine from the UDM, while others were from smaller parties.
That, combined with the BCM councillors, amounts to more than R3.3-million.
This is but a drop in the ocean as the province has 39 councils and the country 278.
The move was in line with an announcement made by the government on Friday that councillors who were not returned after the municipal elections earlier this month, would receive a once-off gratuity payment.
This after Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooyen – after consulting various stakeholders, including National Treasury – agreed with the cabinet to approve the payments.
As a result, National Treasury made available an amount of R309.3-million over this year’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for the payment of councillors.
Cogta national spokesman Legadima Leso said the exact number of councillors eligible to receive the gratuity and the amount of the gratuity would only be finalised after all municipal councils had been set up.
Leso said after that process, beneficiaries would be identified.
“Regardless of the number of councillors not returning to office, the department will have to stay within the budgeted amount of R309-million.”
Cogta MEC Fikile Xasa told the newspaper yesterday that the department would only know the exact number of councillors eligible for the exit packages during the course of this week.
“Officials have the gazette of those coming in. The Independent Electoral Commission has gazetted these councillors,” Xasa said.
BCM spokesman Sibusiso Cindi said about 98% names of incoming councillors were known by the metro.
“As for now, BCM is not 100% sure who will make it in the new council.”
He said there were outstanding names that were yet to be confirmed with the Independent Electoral Commission by other parties.
These included the ANC in BCM, which has yet to finalise the names of councillors to serve this term.
BCM’s ANC regional secretary Mkhangeli Maleki said the party had yet to finalise the names of those to serve in council.
“We are still embarking on internal processes. The deployment committee of the province has not sat…It would be premature for us to conclude – we would not like to venture into it as there are sensitivities and people are going to be affected.”
DA’s Kevin Mileham said the 10 councillors who would not be returning, included seven PR councillors and three ward councillors.
The PAC’s Jerome Mdyolo confirmed he was not returning.
Mdyolo has been replaced by Siviwe Tshabe.
COPE’s Ben Twelingca, who has been replaced by Nonceba Madikane, also said he was not returning.
KSD municipal spokesman Sonwabo Mampoza said he did not have numbers of councillors not returning but new councillors would be sworn in on Wednesday.
UDM provincial spokesman Mabandla Gogo said nine UDM councillors were not returning in KSD.
A response from the ANC in KSD had not been received at the time of writing. — msindisif@dispatch.co.za l See also page 4
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