MIKE Sutcliffe, the municipal manager of the eThekwini Municipality, says he will never accept a performance bonus - an amount which could top R220 000 every year.

In an interview with Santosh Beharie of The Sunday Tribune, the chief executive of a 20 000-strong workforce, said he had never accepted a bonus since he was appointed in 2001.

"My passion for the city and my job are the only things that drive me," Sutcliffe is quoted as saying. "When I started as city manager, I turned down my performance bonus that year, because I was new on the job and did not think it was necessary. I just decided after that not to accept future bonuses."

Sutcliffe has reportedly asked the council's executive committee responsible for rating his performance to remove the clause pertaining to bonuses from his contract.

Sutcliffe is the highest-paid municipal manager in South Africa, earning R1,091-million a year.

The bonus is given to officials who perform exceptionally well and, in the eThekwini Municipality, is capped at 20 percent of the annual salary. In Sutcliffe's case, a 20 percent bonus could equal close to R220 000.

Sutcliffe told Beharie that the executive committee had graded him at 70 percent for his performance in 2003/2004, entitling him to R154 000, but he had refused to accept it. Instead, Sutcliffe asked council's Exco to establish a municipality development fund into which his bonus should be paid.

"This money should be used to help people in crisis. For example, if there was a fire at an informal settlement, the money could be used to buy things like food and blankets for those affected. I would also be able to cash my leave and pay the money into the fund if I wanted to. So could all municipal employees," he is quoted as saying.

Deputy Mayor Logie Naidoo, a member of Exco, told The Sunday Tribune that the committee had already accepted Sutcliffe's proposal and were seeking legal advice on how to establish such a fund.

"The issue of the performance assessment still applies to Sutcliffe in terms of his contract. In terms of legislation, we have to conduct one. The head of Exco has already endorsed the creation of a development fund and we are awaiting a report from our legal department," he said.
Source: The Sunday Tribune

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