Clash over gratuity to former councillors

Cogta is pushing ahead with a once-off gratuity to non-returning councillors, but the Western Cape government remains opposed to the move.

Cape Town - The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) is pushing ahead with accelerating the once-off gratuity to non-returning councillors following the local government elections.

The Western Cape government remains opposed to the move, saying councillors were aware that it was a high-risk job.

During a meeting of ministers and MECs (Minmec) held in Pretoria on Friday, a report on the gratuity to be paid to non-returning councillors was up for discussion.

The gratuity will be a once-off amount, which is three month’s salary to be paid to the non-returning councillors.

The exact number of councillors eligible for the gratuity, and the amount, can only be finalised after all municipal councils have been constituted.

Cogta Minister Des van Rooyen said in paying the gratuity, the department would consider the last salary level of the councillor.

“The Minmec acknowledged that even though there are strict compliance requirements relating to the payment of a gratuity and also bearing in mind that 2011 payments of the gratuity took about 12 months, the meeting agreed that the 2016 payments to deserving councillors should be accelerated,” the minister said.

Western Cape Local Government MEC Anton Bredell said the province was sticking to its guns because councillors had a five-year contract which could not be extended by three months.

“I don’t think the law provides for that. It does not matter who is getting it, you have a five-year contract from election to election and that is it. You can’t extend that with a three months payment.

“We should rather give councillors financial training and support on how to manage their finances because it is a high-risk job and they are aware that their jobs are not guaranteed,” he added.

Bredell requested that the money be paid directly to municipalities because there were councillors country-wide who owed the municipalities money for services. “We can rather pay the money to the municipalities so that all outstanding debt can be settled first and the rest is paid out,” the MEC added.

Bredell said Van Rooyen had said he would first get a legal opinion on the matter.

Bredell said the province was being proactive and had called in all mayors and speakers while the same would be done with the accounting officers (municipal managers) at municipalities. “In the Western Cape we will not allow our councillors to be in arrears with their bills for longer than three months. We will clamp down on it because we can’t expect the public to pay their bills when councillors are not.”

Bredell conceded there were a few councillors in the province who had not paid their municipal accounts, but speakers and mayors had received instructions about outstanding municipal bills for councillors. “We want a report every month on the status of councillors and their outstanding bills. Action will be taken against those who are three months in arrears.”

warda.meyer@inl.co.za

Cape Argus