Headmen to cost us R407m – up 28% on last year

PROVINCIAL governments will have to find almost R100-million – or more – to pay salary increases to headmen and headwomen as determined by President Jacob Zuma.

The cash-strapped Eastern Cape, which has 1 193 headmen, will be paying R100-million in headman salaries this year.

KwaZulu-Natal – which has 2 039 recognised headmen (izinduna in Zulu) – will have to find an extra R139-million to pay these comparatively junior traditional leaders, who at present receive R15 600 a year.

The president, acting on the recommendation of the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers, has determined salaries for the nation’s more than 5 000 headmen and women be standardised at R84 125 a year.

Last year, headmen cost the country R317-million. This year it will be R407-million – an increase of 28.4%.

The new salary determination will require KwaZulu-Natal to fork out R171-million in izinduna salaries next year, a huge jump from the R32-million it is paying now.

This will somehow have to come from the provincial budget.

The issue has proven to be a real political hot potato for the national Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

Officials from the department would not comment, except to say that each province has to budget for the salaries of the headmen and women in their provincial budgets.

This comes amid fears that the provinces will have to take money meant for the indigent to pay the headmen and headwomen.

Deep rural areas, where headmen and headwomen wield considerable power, are expected to remain the bedrock of ANC support in next year’s local government elections.

If the ANC can replicate its deep rural success elsewhere in rural KwaZulu-Natal, it could pulverise the IFP, which has always relied on support in these areas.

The Department of Traditional Affairs has, however, denied that the hefty salary increases for traditional leaders are designed to ensure loyalty to the ANC.

According to figures quoted by Traditional Affairs director-general Charles Nwaila in February, the Northern Cape has 24 headmen, Limpopo 1 513, Mpumalanga 464, Gauteng four, North West 85 and the Free State 104. The Western Cape has none. Due to the numbers and location of traditional leaders, the salary burden is heaviest in the poorest provinces. Besides the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal’s high costs, Limpopo must pay R127-million.

According to information provided by the national department, headmen and women in the Eastern Cape have over the years been paid without a determination, and will now actually be paid less than the R91 000 they each earned last year, after the original pay determination was repealed in July.

Another problem awaiting the national government in the very near future is the increasing number of people laying claim to the position of headman.

These issues are to be addressed in the Traditional and Khoi and San Leadership Governance Bill to be tabled in parliament soon.