Whilst Johannesburg residents endure weeks without running water, the city’s top political office bearers have voted to increase their own salaries.
The council approved new upper salary limits for the mayor, deputy mayor, speaker, members of the mayoral committee and oversight committee chairpersons at a recent meeting, despite the city facing mounting infrastructure failures and a struggling economy.
Residents across Johannesburg have been without water for extended periods due to crumbling infrastructure, whilst power interruptions and delayed projects add to the service delivery crisis.
Mayor Dada Morero’s annual salary will rise by R64 987 to R1.65 million.
Deputy Mayor Luis Mtsweni will see the largest increase of R126 746, bringing his annual package to R1.332 million.
The speaker will earn R1.332 million, a rise of R52 480.
Members of the mayoral committee will receive increases close to R50 000, whilst oversight committee chairpersons will take home about R1 million annually, R47 990 more than before.
The Democratic Alliance voted against the increases and has condemned the decision.
DA Johannesburg caucus leader Belinda Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the timing was indefensible.
“It’s an absolute disgrace. We don’t believe that as public representatives we should be getting an increase whilst we are having to deal with outages, power outages, water outages, and we currently have a water crisis in the city,” she said.
The DA also opposed the creation of the deputy mayor position itself.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku said the money allocated to salary increases should be redirected towards fixing the city’s failing infrastructure.
Burst water pipes, collapsed roads and sinkholes plague Johannesburg, with decades of neglected maintenance now showing its consequences.
“That money should be going to fixing the infrastructure,” she said.
Separately, the DA has served legal papers on the City of Johannesburg over a R10 billion agreement the party describes as politically facilitated.
The agreement was included in the city’s adjustment budget, which councillors received only hours before they were required to vote on it.
The DA requested the budget be withdrawn for reworking and is now using legal action to challenge the agreement and push for funds to be redirected to service delivery.
“That is why yesterday we served the city with legal papers,” Kayser-Echeozonjoku said.
Kayser-Echeozonjoku attributed decisions like the salary increases to political instability in the city’s coalition government, where smaller parties wield disproportionate influence over council decisions.
She said residents would ultimately have their say at the ballot box during the next election.
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