No salary increase for Zuma and senior state officials
Senior Public Office Bearers, including members of the executive, legislature and judiciary will not be getting salary adjustments for the 2016/17 financial year.
The Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers briefed the media on its recommendations saying it consulted with various stakeholders including the minister of finance, who "expressed serious concerns regarding the current state of the South African economy".
The recommendations include no adjustments for:
- All members of the National Executive and deputy ministers (including president and deputy president)
- All members of parliament
- All members of the provincial executive and legislatures
- All judges
- Local government: mayor - chief whip
- Traditional Kings/ Queens and full-time deputy chairperson of Provincial House of Traditional Leaders
A four percent cost-of-living adjustment has however been recommended for municipal councillors. Meanwhile magistrates and certain full-time members of the National House of Traditional Leaders can expect a six percent salary increase.
But some have expressed dissatisfaction with the recommendations.
"Objections yes. They will always be there, they have always been there since this commission was established," says Commissioner Dr Masenjana Sibandze. "You can't satisfy everybody."
But the president holds a different view.
President Jacob Zuma is set to sign off on the austerity-like recommendations for Public Office Bearers within the next few days. Commissioner Dr Ronel Nienaber says this would come as good news for ratings agencies ahead of a credit rating announcement of South Africa's sovereign rating. There are looming fears of a downgrade to junk status by two of the major agencies.
The commission's Deputy Chair Mathego Ramagaga says they considered a wide range of factors before making the recommendations.
"Over and above the information that the [finance] minister brought to the attention of the commission, the commission still looked at data that actually highlights and shows the issue of budget constraints," she says.
The commission further considered the Consumer Price Index, information from the Reserve Bank and the increasing constraints on the fiscus.
The adjustments, when approved, will be implemented retrospectively from April 2016 to March 2017.