POLOKWANE – Tensions briefly flared during an open-council sitting last Tuesday when Cope representative Erick Mohlapamaswi clashed with council whip Phetola Rapetswa over salary adjustments, following the announcement that the municipality had been upgraded to grade six status.

Mayor John Mpe had celebrated the milestone, noting that the elevation brings the municipality closer to his long-term goal of achieving metropolitan status.

The dispute arose over proposals to adjust the salaries of councillors and officially recognised political representatives in line with the new grading administered by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).

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Mohlapamaswi objected, arguing that administrators and municipal workers, he described as “much hardworking and far-deserving”, were being unfairly excluded from discussions on pay adjustments.

“Administrators and municipal workers played a key role in meeting the standards required for this new status. Why are they being sidelined in these discussions?” Mohlapamaswi said in a statement released by Cope on October 1.

Rapetswa, seated alongside the mayor, dismissed Mohlapamaswi’s concerns as irrelevant to the immediate council discussion.

He explained that, unlike councillors, salary adjustments for employees below senior management fall under the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC), where national unions such as Samwu and Imatu negotiate pay.

Section 56/57 senior managers, he added, have their remuneration determined separately.

The ANC issued a statement through Rapetswa, labeling Mohlapamaswi’s comments as “cheap politicking” and saying that employee grading is outside the council’s mandate.

“With regard to the section 56/57 senior managers, their remuneration is usually higher than that of councillors. Misleading narratives led by some political parties lack foundation,” the statement read.

Mohlapamaswi, however, insists that all relevant bodies should be consulted. He emphasised that grade six status should reflect not only higher salaries for politicians but also improved service delivery, particularly in water provision.

“A grade six classification is not just about salary scales for politicians,” he said. “It also implies higher standards of governance, improved service delivery, and better conditions for all stakeholders, including workers and residents. We cannot claim to be a grade six municipality while offering grade four service delivery.”

Cope reiterated its call for the inclusive implementation of the 2024/25 Determination of Upper Limits of Salaries, Allowances, and Benefits for municipal councillors, as gazetted in Government Gazette No. 51419 and its 2025 amendment (Gazette No. 53168).