19 Feb 2014

It will not be sustainable to pay all the 351 headmen of arbitration who are awaiting absorption into the government payroll using Ipelegeng monthly rate, Parliament has been told.

Responding to a parliamentary question, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Peter Siele said due to budgetary constraints, it would not be possible to pay the headmen a P480 monthly rate which totalled to P2 021 760 annually.

Minister Siele noted that Ipelegeng programme was a temporary employment relief measure, whilst arbitration work required availability of permanent funds for monthly allowance payments.

This, he said, would not be consistent with the principle of establishment of Ipelegeng programme adding that it might dampen the spirit of headmen of arbitration who were doing an invaluable contribution if they were paid P480 whilst others got a monthly allowance of P2 838.

“My ministry did not make budgetary provision for payment of all the 351 headmen of Arbitration at P2 838 per month, which converts to P11 953 656 for the 2014/15 financial year”, he said.

Payment of headmen of arbitration using the Ipelegeng rate, Mr Siele said, would not address the situation in the interim.

However, he informed the house that the matter was being addressed through a phased approach of absorbing a limited number of annual basis using vacant posts, within the entire ministry, resources permitting.

MP for Tonota North, Mr Fidelis Molao had asked the minister if he would consider paying all Headmen of Arbitration who are awaiting absorption into the Government payroll using the Ipelegeng rate as a temporary measure in view of the lack of budget.

He also asked whether this scenario would not ameliorate their situation in the interim and if not, what quick measures would be put in place to pay them in view of the fact that some of them have been waiting for more than 10 years. ENDS