Secretary’s 70% salary hike above board – Parliament
Following weekend reports that the National Assembly’s speaker and NCOP chair misled Parliament about the review of the legislature secretary’s salary from R2.6 million to R4.4 million, Parliament says the decision to review Xolile George’s salary was above board.
The Sunday Times reported that Mapisa Nqakula and Amos Masondo allegedly misled Parliament over the salary of the legislature's secretary.
According to the newspaper, George earns over R4 million, despite the position being priced at a maximum of R2.6 million.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) accused the pair of clandestinely approving the 70% hike and has called on deputy speaker Lechesa Tsenoli to refer the probe into Parliament’s political heads to the Powers and Privileges Committee.
READ: DA wants probe into Mapisa-Nqakula over George salary hike
“Parliament approved the appointment of George in June 2022 based on the misleading information provided by the Speaker in Parliament. It is alleged that less than three months after his appointment, the Political Heads secretly agreed to raise Mr George’s salary to R4.4 million, information which was not disclosed to Parliament. It remains officially undisclosed.
“The DA contends that there are a number of breaches of ethics, accountability, transparency requirement and misconduct by the Speaker,” said DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube.
But in a statement addressing the concerns, Parliament said the review process was based on the recommendations of an independent expert on sustainable business and remuneration.
Mothapo further said it was not practical to expect the presiding officers to consult with all parties on the matter.
“…it should be noted that the presiding officers have extensively consulted with parties during the recruitment process of the accounting officer, including the selection of the successful candidate, despite there being no legal obligation on their part to do so. The decision to review the remuneration package differs significantly from such recruitment processes.”
Parliament said George’s reviewed salary was set below what he earned in his previous position as chief executive officer of the South African Local Government Association, adding that the information is publicly available as published in the 2022/2023 annual report of Parliament.
“There should be no perception of secrecy surrounding this matter. The review was conducted openly, in line with established procedures, and the resulting decisions were made with the utmost accountability and adherence to parliamentary standards,” Mothapo said.
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