Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi has announced a 5.75 percent increase to the upper limit of the present salaries, allowances and benefits of councillors.

The increase is effective from 1 July 2005.

According to a statement, this is in terms of section 7 of the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act of 1998.

According to the law, the minister must determine the upper limit of salaries and allowances of the different members of municipal councils by notice in the Government Gazette, after consultation with local government MECs in each province, and after taking into consideration the provisions listed in section 7(1) of the Act.

The Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers made this recommendation in July.

Mufamadi said that based on recommendations by the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers, he had also consulted the South African Local Government Association (Salga), which supported the amount of the increase.

The notice was published in Government Gazette on Monday, 14 November.

Source: BuaNews