The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) strongly condemns the ANC-led municipality’s attempt to introduce new, unauthorised travel payments for councillors attending Portfolio Committee and Oversight meetings, and will immediately:
- Write to the Municipal Manager and the Speaker to ensure this illegal policy is stopped before it results in irregular expenditure; and
- Request that the municipal legal adviser table a written opinion confirming the illegality of the proposed payments.
At a Special Council meeting held on 1 December 2025, a reviewed Councillors’ Travelling Policy was tabled which seeks to treat Portfolio Committee and Oversight meetings as additional claimable items — despite councillors already receiving a monthly travel allowance and per-kilometre reimbursement as part of the nationally regulated remuneration framework.
In terms of the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act, municipalities are bound by the national salary and allowance determination issued annually by the President. This determination already includes councillors’ travel allowances and does not permit municipalities to invent new categories of payment. Introducing an additional allowance is therefore illegal and constitutes irregular expenditure under the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
Paying councillors extra to perform their core duties is both unethical and unacceptable. Portfolio Committees and Oversight are legally mandated responsibilities under the Municipal Structures Act and the Code of Conduct for Councillors. Councillors must attend these meetings as part of their basic obligations.
Yet GTM’s new policy seeks to reward councillors for merely doing the work they are already paid to do — at a time when the municipality continues to fail in delivering even the most basic services.
The DA is further concerned that this policy appears designed to address the persistent non-attendance of ANC councillors at Portfolio Committee meetings. The law is unequivocal: a councillor who is absent from three or more consecutive meetings of the council, or any committee to which they have been appointed, without leave of absence must be removed from office. This is a statutory requirement, not a discretionary one.
We will request a detailed list of councillors who have missed three or more consecutive meetings since January 2024; and demand confirmation of whether sanctions were implemented in accordance with the Code of Conduct.
After the DA slammed the proposed policy amendment during the council meeting, it was referred to next week’s strategic session for further deliberations.
At a time when residents are suffering under collapsing infrastructure and services, the ANC in GTM appears intent on prioritising personal financial gain over the needs of the community – the very antithesis of ethical governance.
As the DA, we will continue to fight for ethical governance, lawful expenditure, and a municipality that puts the interests of its community first.