Councillors push for perks hike

REGIONAL councillors are pushing to receive an increase in their transport allowances, noting that N$ 7 000 per month is not sufficient to pay off their vehicles. They also want more than the current N$5 000 they receive as a fuel allowance.

Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) councillor for Walvis Bay rural constituency Florian Tegako said he was given N$5 960 for fuel to travel to Outapi to attend the Association of regional Councils’ congress.

He was speaking during a presentation by the Public Office Bearers Commission director, Oscar Muyatwa, at the congress at Outapi on Tuesday.

“Which car takes fuel of that amount? If I fill up when I travel to Outapi, how will I go back? Because that money will be finished… I will be humiliated because I don’t have money to fill up the car and I will be using public transport to go back,” he said.

Tegako also said he thinks car allowances of N$7 000 per month should be increased because typical monthly instalments for bakkies now stand between N$11 000 and N$12 000 monthly.

“What kind of vehicle can you pay an instalment of N$7 000 for? A mere Polo is already N$4 000 to N$5 000 per month. N$7 000 is not enough to pay the instalment for a 4×4 bakkie, especially for those of us whose offices are in rural areas,” he said.

Contributing to the discussion on Tuesday, Landless People’s Movement (LPM) councillor for Rehoboth Rural Franshua Dâusab, said regional councillors work for the government and are therefore entitled to annual leave.

“The commission and Association of Regional Councils have betrayed us and should be taken to court,” he said.

Dâusab, who is also the chairperson of the Hardap Regional Council, suggested that chairpersons of regional councils must also be given car allowances so that they can buy vehicles.

“I drive that official vehicle but I am not allowed to use it to do private things like attending a funeral. I propose that chairpersons must also receive allowances, like other councillors,” he said.

Former John Pandeni constituency councillor Rachel Jacob, who was the director of proceedings, denied councillors who wanted to ask questions and contribute to the discussion the opportunity to do so, saying the matter will be discussed at a later stage.

Currently regional councillors do not have annual leave because the Public Office Bearers Commission (POBC) is yet to receive legal opinions from the Office of the Attorney General on whether regional councillors are subject to the Labour Act.

Muyatwa said in 2016 former attorney general Sacky Shanghala submitted a legal opinion to the POBC stating that regional councillors are subject to the Labour Act. However, Muyatwa said the opinion was faulty and was rejected. He added that if councillors are found to be subjected to the Labour Act, their leave days will have to be paid. However, he said there were no records of their accomodated leave days.

He said the matter will be discussed by the POBC when it sits at the coast this week and that the matter is still with the Office of the Attorney General.

Mbandeka was not reachable for comment yesterday.