Cape Town – Parliament is reportedly justifying a nearly 70% salary increase for its secretary, Xolile George, who has been in the role for one year, asserting that the decision was the result of a comprehensive and impartial evaluation process.
The Sunday Times reported that the NCOP secretly approved a nearly 70% salary increase for George, raising his annual pay to R4.4 million, surpassing that of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This increase was initially denied by the officials, who had publicly stated that George would be paid R2.6 million a year, portraying it as a pay cut from his previous role as CEO of Salga, where he earned over R5 million annually, the report said.
The increase has sparked criticism from the Democratic Alliance (DA), which is calling for an investigation.
The DA is accusing National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula of misleading Parliament. It follows revelations that Parliament Secretary Xolile George received a whopping 70 percent pay hike. #DStv403 #eNCA pic.twitter.com/2rZG6vQTRZ
— eNCA (@eNCA) October 10, 2023
The DA claims that political parties were kept in the dark about the decision, and Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula is under scrutiny.
However, according to EWN, Parliament defends the salary hike, saying that it was based on an impartial expert assessment by a remuneration consultancy firm to align with industry standards.
However, Siviwe Gwarube, the DA’s chief whip, is calling for an inquiry, alleging that Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula provided misleading information to both Parliament and the nation.
“If Parliament cannot practice transparency and accountability, then how can we expect it to do its job of holding government to account? We will monitor this matter closely and we expect to hear from the deputy Speaker how the matter will be taken forward,” the report quoted Gwarube as saying.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
