ANC and EFF councillors of the J.B. Marks Municipality have voted in favour of a 3% salary increase for councillors in the J.B. Marks municipal council during a special council meeting on Tuesday, 24 May.

In a letter, DA councillor, Chris Hattingh, has called this decision “a shocking and shameless display.”

Santi Britz, DA caucus whip in J.B. Marks, stated after the meeting in an online video, that the salary increase is an insult to every resident in J.B. Marks.

“This decision is just once again another example of the ANC only looking out for themselves,” stated Britz.

According to Hattingh the salary increase comes at a time when there are no visible signs of any recovery from the collapsed service delivery levels in the municipality.

“Almost every facet of service delivery in the municipality has been compromised, from street lights and sanitation services to potholes and refuse removal, from license applications to rezoning applications. Even attempts to report the lack of service delivery by telephone has become a serious challenge,” he added.

Hattingh also emphasised that the Democratic Alliance will continue to expose the lack of respect for the community and public funds.