Municipal Manager not responsible for granting salary increases
There’s been an unwarranted backlash against Municipal Manager Mr Bheki Khenisa, due to salary adjustments perceived to have been rubber-stamped by him, which is not true.
Employee salary increases are determined by the bargaining council, while adjustments to Mr Khenisa’s employment package, and those of top-level management, is decided by the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
There is a 6.2% multi-year salary increase over three years for municipal employees. Council also decided to restate Mr Khenisa and his management team from level five to level six upper limits of total remuneration packages payable to municipal managers, and managers directly accountable to municipal managers.
Level six management affirmation was determined externally by the Minister for Cooperative Governance, while the 6.2% salary increase for municipal employees were implemented across the board by all municipalities.
Mr Khenisa was not directly responsible for granting salary increases or promoting himself to an upper management level.
Many factors determine the upper limits for municipal managers and municipal directors reporting to Mr Khenisa, like the size of the municipality, audit outcomes and service delivery results.
Mr Khenisa has had no hand in either the bargaining council’s decision to grant a 6.2% increase for municipal employees over three years, or the council’s decision to affirm Mr Khenisa, and directors accountable to him, from level five to level six upper limits, as gazetted by Cooperative Governance Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma on March 20.
Mr Khenisa has, however, had a direct hand in keeping the municipality financially stable, steering the municipality towards clean audit outcomes, upping service delivery and additional service rollouts, massive infrastructural investments and many other commendable actions, which www.mobserver.co.zaregularly attributes to his efforts.
Strict legislative framework dictates top management packages, while the bargaining council determines employee salary increases after lengthy engagements with labour unions.
The council also has no sway on either employee increases or upper-level determinations.
Middelburg residents have a lot to be happy about, despite the economy reeling from the Covid-19 fallout, with a R2.6 billion budget approved by the council.
