A proposed 5% salary increase for Tshwane councillors has been met with fierce opposition from the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) and a lone dissenting voice within the council itself, Councillor Lex Middelberg of the Republican Conference of Tshwane.
The move to approve the increase passed with near-unanimous support from all other councillors across party lines. However, the decision has sparked outrage, with SAMWU threatening to bring the city to a standstill if the increases are implemented.
In an interview, the sole opposing councillor, Lex Middelberg, laid out his reasons for voting against the measure, centering on what he describes as the municipality’s chronic underperformance and dire financial state.
Middelberg stated that rewarding six consecutive years of poor performance, where Tshwane has been ranked as the worst or jointly worst-performing metro in South Africa, is fundamentally wrong. “You do not reward underperformance with salary increases,” he stated.
His second reason focused on the city’s finances. Middelberg revealed that according to recent submissions to the Auditor-General, the municipality has failed to collect 30% of its current debt from ratepayers, a situation he called indicative of “huge problems” and “overtaxation.”
Furthermore, he highlighted a critical decline in revenue from on-demand services, such as applications for building plans, which have dropped by 11%. “That is more than the increase from the previous year in the tariffs for those services,” Middelberg explained, “which means that we are dealing here with an economic decline and a ratepayer base that is no longer able to pay.”
When asked about the unified support from other councillors, Middelberg alleged that politicians were “closing ranks” around their own interests. He claimed the council speaker severely bent the rules to prevent him from explaining his objections during the meeting, allowing him only to cast his vote against the increase without giving his reasons—a move he called “unheard of” and “unacceptable.”
He also outright rejected the argument that salary increases are needed to keep pace with inflation and attract talent. Middelberg pointed to the city’s budget allocation, noting that while the annual payroll is R12 billion, only about R1 billion is spent on actual service delivery. “We are spending one-tenth of our salary budget on actually rendering services… It is not tenable,” he said.
Middelberg, who left the Democratic Alliance years ago citing a dislike for “groupthink,” stated he was under no pressure from colleagues to conform and is not concerned about political isolation.
Responding to SAMWU’s threat of a strike, Middelberg was dismissive, arguing that service delivery is already moving at a “snail’s pace.” He advised the union to channel its anger constructively by using its political power at the ballot box. “Say to the people you normally vote for, my vote is not for you at the next election if this goes on,” he said. “If you’re not willing to change your vote, nothing is going to change in South Africa.”
The controversy sets the stage for a significant clash between the city’s political leadership, its municipal workers, and a ratepayer base struggling under the weight of rising costs and declining services.
