Local izinduna (local headmen) defied a plea by the  KZN Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) not to go ahead with a planned march today to protes tthe delayed salary increase granted to them through a Presidential proclamation.

The 40 or so marchers gathered near Dundee Secondary and made their way to the Cogta offices on Beaconsfield Street where officials, safely locked behind a palisade fence and gate, accepted a memorandum

Police were in attendance.

“In the first place, we would like nothing more than pay these outstanding salary increases to all those who qualify for them but these funds at present constitute an unfunded mandate whereby the Presidential proclamation which authorised them came without an additional allocation from the National Treasury,” said KZN MEC for Cogta Nomusa Dube-Ncube.

Since the Presidential proclamation came into effect, the KZN Cogta has initiated negotiations with the national government seeking to secure an outstanding amount for back-pay as well as a commitment to fund this expenditure on an annual basis in the future.

As a result of this unfunded mandate, KZN Cogta is currently facing a R300-million shortfall in its funding of this commitment and is in negotiations with the National Treasury in this regard. Any rumours about the department being behind the delays are devoid of any truth and are without substance.

The department welcomes all initiatives that may lead to the resolution of this matter and izinduna are free to approach the national government directly in this regard.

“Since this administrative hurdle has not been removed to date, we appeal humbly to all izinduna whom these salary increases concern to await the resolution of this matter and afford us some breathing space. As KZN Cogta, we have every intention of meeting every one of our legal commitments, including the contents of this presidential proclamation,” said Dube-Ncube