Pretoria - The Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers has recommended an across-the-board 5 percept salary increase for all public office bearers - from the president, his cabinet, premiers, judges, magistrates, MECs, MPs, MPLs and traditional leaders, mayors to city and town councillors.
According to the commission, the basis for the percentage increase was informed by Consumer Price Index trends, affordability, national market trends including the private and public sector, and consultation with relevant parties.
The proposed increase was less than the 7 percent approved by President Jacob Zuma in the 2010/11 fiscal year.
If this is adopted, Zuma's annual salary will be R2 485 000 while ministers and their deputies will get R1.9-million and R1.5-million, respectively.
Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will earn R2.2-million, the same amount earned by the speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu, and the chief justice. MPs' salaries will go up to R843 000 a year.
Cabinet ministers will now get R1.5-million, premiers will receive R1.7-million, and Mayors will be paid just under R1-million a year.
Should Zuma endorse the recommendations, ministers will spend only up to 60 percept of their salaries to buy official cars - down from the 70 percent of the current allowance set out in the ministerial handbook, the commissions recommended.
Other measures recommended include that ministers and MPs should only use their private vehicles for official purposes provided that the amount claimed is not "more than the cost of air travel, unless circumstances justify this".
Ministers and their deputies will still be allowed to stay in five-star hotels, but MPs will have to make do with four-star facilities.
Members of provincial legislatures, the commission said, should stay in three-star hotels.
The commission has also recommended that Treasury must pay a once-off gratuity to former local government councillors who served a full five-year term from 2006 until the May 18 local government elections. The amount will be the equivalent of three months of a councillor's salary.
The commission has already handed the recommendations to Parliament and to Zuma, who is expected to make a final pronouncement sometime next week.
The pay rises are expected be gazetted on Monday and will be backdated to 1 April.