Here’s why commission decided on no salary increases for MPs

The Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers has been inundated with enquiries since the publication of the recommendation that there should be a no-salary increase for public office-bearers. As a result, the commission led by deputy chairperson Matshego Ramagaga held a press conference today in order to explain the recommendations.

Ramagaga said that by complying with the law, the commission took several factors into account when making the recommendations including:

» The role, status, duties and responsibilities of the office bearers concerned;

»The affordability of different levels of remuneration of public bearers;

» Current principles and levels of remuneration, particularly in respect of the organs state, and the society generally;

» Inflationary increases;

» The available resources of the state; and

» Other relevant factors which include the inputs from relevant stakeholders, the Commission’s past recommendations and determinations by institutions mandated to make determinations concerning salaries, allowances benefits and necessary resources for some public office-bearers.

Throughout the process, Ramagaga said that the commission held “statutory and courtesy consultations” with the minister of finance, the minister of justice and correctional services, the chief justice, the lower courts remuneration committee and the minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs.

By taking into account each of the minister’s concerns which included the current state of the South African economy, the inability of the public office-bearers to negotiate their salaries and concerns with the overall remuneration structure, the commission concluded that there would no adjustment (0%) to the remuneration of:

» All members of national executive and deputy ministers

» All members of national Parliament

»All members of provincial executive and legislature

» All judges

» Local government: positions of executive mayor to whip

» Traditional leadership: position of the king/queen to full-time deputy chairperson of provincial house of traditional leaders.

There would be a 4% cost-of-living–adjustment to the remuneration of municipal councillors and a 6% cost-of-living-adjustment to the remuneration of all magistrates and full-time members of the national house of traditional leaders to headmen or headwomen, and sitting allowances of all members of national house of traditional leaders and provincial house of traditional leaders.

It was also emphasised that the recommendations still have to be determined by the different institutions at different levels of the public office-bearers.

	Avantika Seeth Multimedia journalist City Press p: +27 11 713 9001 w: www.citypress.co.za  e: avantika.seeth@citypress.co.za
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