By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Parliament says the decision to increase secretary Xolile George’s salary was based on the recommendations of an impartial expert assessment conducted by a sustainable business and remuneration consultancy firm.
According to a Sunday Times report, National Assembly speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and NCOP chair Amos Masondo quietly approved the salary increase for George and then lied about it.
George was CEO of the South African Local Government Association (Salga) before applying for the role of Secretary to Parliament last year.
Mapisa-Nqakula and Masondo publicly agreed in June 2022 that George would be paid R2.6 million a year and told other political parties and the public that George was happy to take a pay cut from his previous job as CEO of Salga, where he was paid over R5 million a year.
George’s deputy Baby Tyawa — the long-term acting secretary since mid-2017, who was suspended in October 2022 — received a R2.387-million total income for the 2022/23 financial year.
When secretary Gengezi Mgidlana went on special leave in June 2017 pending investigations into claims including financial mismanagement and abuse of power, Tyawa was appointed acting Secretary to Parliament. Her acting stint continued after both Houses of Parliament in October 2019 voted for Mgidlana’s instant dismissal after disciplinary guilty verdicts until George’s appointment.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) accused the pair of clandestinely approving the 70% hike and has called on deputy speaker Lechesa Tsenoli to refer the probe into Parliament’s political heads to the Powers and Privileges Committee.
“Parliament approved the appointment of George in June 2022 based on the misleading information provided by the Speaker in Parliament. It is alleged that less than three months after his appointment, the Political Heads secretly agreed to raise George’s salary to R4.4 million, information which was not disclosed to Parliament. It remains officially undisclosed.
“The DA contends that there are a number of breaches of ethics, accountability, transparency requirement and misconduct by the Speaker,” said DA chief whip Siviwe Gwarube.
But in a statement addressing the concerns, Parliament said the review process was based on the recommendations of an independent expert on sustainable business and remuneration.
Parliament further said it was not practical to expect the presiding officers to consult with all parties on the matter.
“…it should be noted that the presiding officers have extensively consulted with parties during the recruitment process of the accounting officer, including the selection of the successful candidate, despite there being no legal obligation on their part to do so. The decision to review the remuneration package differs significantly from such recruitment processes.”
Parliament said George’s reviewed salary was set below what he earned in his previous position as chief executive officer of the South African Local Government Association, adding that the information is publicly available as published in the 2022/2023 annual report of Parliament.
“There should be no perception of secrecy surrounding this matter. The review was conducted openly, in line with established procedures, and the resulting decisions were made with the utmost accountability and adherence to parliamentary standards,” Parliament said.