File image. Picture: Soraya Crowie
SOL PLAATJE municipality has approved salary increases for municipal managers.
An amount of R1 million was set aside for salary increases for the 2018/19 to 2020/21 financial years.
The matter was postponed at the last mayoral committee meeting in August, where it was resolved that it should be held in abeyance until the financial position of the municipality and its cash flow status had improved.
During a virtual ordinary council meeting that was held on Thursday, it was agreed that the upper limits of total remuneration packages payable to municipal managers and managers directly accountable to the municipal managers be implemented with effect from July 2018, while the increases for the 2020/21 financial year will be phased in before the end of June 2021.
It was also resolved that executive directors should not receive any performance bonuses until an improvement in service delivery was noted.
Executive directors will be entitled to cost of living adjustments, provided that the municipality is able to afford the costs.
Suspended municipal manager Goolam Akharwaray and chief financial officer Lydia Mahloko will not receive increases until council has resolved on the matter and the outcome of a court application.
An interdict was obtained in 2018 to prevent the findings of a Section 106 investigation that was conducted at Sol Plaatje Municipality from being released.
Council also extended the contracts of the acting municipal manager, Boy Dhluwayo, and the acting chief financial officer, Zahid Cader, for another three months.