PHILLIP NKOSI and JUSTIN ARENSTEIN, Standerton | Tuesday
MORE than 40 Mpumalanga politicians tried to award themselves a R1m golden handshake as a “farewell” payout before the local government elections.
Mpumalanga local government department director Bruno Vilane confirmed that four city councils attempted to give outgoing councillors large irregular severance packages.
Council finance officials advised against the payouts in all four cases, but politicians tried to push the deals through anyway, he said.
Vilane was unable to give details, but Democratic Alliance councillor Hennie van der Merwe confirmed that Standerton politicians steamrollered a R1m “pension” package through last Thursday night.
The payout, Van der Merwe said, was meant to compensate councillors when they realised they did not qualify for pensions.
“None of the councillors made pension contributions and only realised they would not receive pension payouts one week before the elections,” said Van der Merwe.
“They ignored objections from their finance department and the DA and pushed the golden handshake through anyway.”
The provincial government was forced to step in at the weekend and reverse the scheme.
Northern Province local government official Joe Maswanganyi confirmed the province was assisting councillors to back-date their pension contributions to legally qualify for severance payouts.
He stressed that councillors would be penalised at least six percent of their total pension payout because they had failed to make regular monthly contributions as requested.
The Mpumalanga abuses follow a spate of expensive farewell parties for councillors at taxpayer expense.
Outgoing Piet Retief mayor Andries Gamede tried to force approval for a R70000 bumper year-end party for local councillors but was forced cancel following community outrage.
Earlier, the mayor of bankrupt Bethal was criticised for hosting an exclusive party in honour of the province’s controversial director general, advocate Stanley Soko. – African Eye News Service