Zilungile Mkhize
Forum4SA questions president Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to grant public office-bearers salary increases of 3.5-percent to four-percent for 2026/27, backdated to 1 April 2026.
While acknowledging the Independent Commission’s role, spokesperson Tebogo Mashilompane says the increases are unjustified amid unemployment, poverty, rising living costs and poor service delivery.
They call on the Presidency and Parliament to explain the economic justification, balance adjustments against citizens’ realities, prioritise service delivery and accountability.
At the same time, union NEHAWU has condemned the salary increases, with spokesperson Lwazi Nkolonzi saying the decision is completely unprincipled and insensitive to the harsh socio-economic realities facing the majority of South Africans.
Click below to hear Nkolonzi’s sentiments…
“It is therefore unacceptable that public office bearers should recieve salary increases while public servants continue to face difficult working conditions, inadequate staffing levels and persistent challenges relating to remuneration in the delivery of public services,” said Nkolonzi.
NEHAWU further emphasised that the implementation of austerity measures has had a devastating impact on the capacity and capability of the state to fulfil its constitutional obligations, particularly its responsibility to provide quality public services to the working class and the rural poor.
