When the news leaked that the Makhado Municipality had appointed a sixth full-time councillor, it caused an outcry among concerned parties.

The Democratic Alliance immediately issued a statement to declare their dismay.

“Councillor Mutavhatsindi was recently appointed as a full-time councillor, despite the recommendations by the MEC for Local Government and Housing that Makhado Municipality qualifies for five full-time councillors, made in 2007. The appointment does not comply with the Municipal Finance Act (MFA), which prescribes that there has to be a budget before any appointment can be effected. The Democratic Alliance was further dismayed to note that the matter was never brought to Council for deliberations, hence there is no council resolution,” states their media release.

The Makhado Municipality this week confirmed that Cllr MD Mutavhatsindi has been appointed as a full-time councillor. The confirmation came by way of an official media response by municipal spokesperson Mr Louis Bobodi. The Council resolution that was attached resolved that “the Mayor be delegated with the power to finalise, as soon as possible, the outstanding issue of appointment of other councillors in a full-time capacity, and for the interim the status quo regarding other full-time councillors remain as it was” (paragraph 7 under Item A.132.04.12.08).

The five other full-time councillors are Cllr MM Lerule, mayor and chairperson of the executive committee, Cllr J Hoorzuk (Speaker), Cllr FJ Rikhotso (Chief Whip) and Cllrs MA Muvhumbe and LB Lowane.

The protest from the DA revolves around the fact that the appointment of a sixth full-time councillor was done without the matter’s serving before Council’s executive committee (Exco) or Council itself. Another problem is that the appointment was not budgeted for.

With regard to the budget, the Makhado Municipality’s response was: “Yes, it was budgeted for, and remember we had our budget adjustment recently, and this is going to work out until June - hence the new fi-nancial year in July this year.”

The municipality’s reason given for the appointment of Cllr Mutavhatsindi as sixth fulltime councillor, despite the MEC’s recommendation that Makhado Municipality qualifies only for five full-time councillors, was: “There was a need for his appointment, and we conformed to the letter of the relevant legal requirements.”

The Makhado Municipal Council is a Grade 4 council, where the salary of a full-time councillor is R302 949. Adding the motor vehicle allowance of R100 962, the annual total remuneration package comes to R403 931. In addition, a full-time councillor may obtain a cell phone allowance of R1 332 per month. The annual total remuneration package of the mayor and speaker of a Grade 4 Council is R538 575 and R430 860 respectively. A full-time mayor may receive R2 667 per month as cell phone allowance.

A part-time councillor receives an annual salary of R121 178 and a total of R161 571, when the motor vehicle allowance is included. The upper limit of the additional cellphone allowance is R831 per month.

Local DA councillor Jacques Smalle said on March 10 that he had brought the matter of the appointment of a sixth full-time councillor to the attention of MEC, Maite Nkoana Mashabana.