THOHOYANDOU - Traditional leaders in the former Venda are not happy with the salaries they are getting from the government. This emerged during a meeting held in the old parliament building in Thohoyandou, on Sunday, October 12, where they were electing a new committee for the Congress of Traditional Leaders of South Africa. The junior leaders complained that they were getting around R2 500, "which is peanuts compared to what the traditional leaders in the former Boputhatswana are getting." They said they are concerned about reports in the media which stated that traditional leaders in Bophuthatswana are getting R7 000. "We are getting 70% less than that." "Something must be done to improve the situation. This means that if we die, our children will get R1 300," they said. The junior traditional leaders urged their seniors to take the matter to the relevant authority so that it can be rectified. "We are doing the same job. But we are not treated the same. Some of us do not even sleep while we are solving people's problems." "What they must know is that, if we stop working with the community, they won't rule this country," they warned. The junior traditional leaders also complained about the fact that there has been no increase in their salaries since 2000. "This is crippling us. The problem is that our seniors are not representing us. They are blocking our development. We are starting, please help us," they pleaded. The senior chiefs promised to attend to the matter. Meanwhile, a UDM representative within Thulamela municipality, Piet Mathebula, also raised the same concern on a different platform. Mathebula told Mirror he was concerned that teachers were getting double salaries, while traditional leaders were not. He said he tried to raise the matter in the council meetings and with the Mayor, Thivhulawi Makumbane, who is also a traditional leader.