PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS – Just when Bitou Municipality thought they had heard it all and that they had paid all their dues to unfairly dismissed former director of corporate services, Misiwe Phyllis Mpahlwa, there is more to be paid.
Mpahlwa is now to receive a performance bonus of 9%, about R100 000, from the municipality.
This is over and above the more than R1m the municipality already paid her following a ruling by the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC), which declared her dismissal unfair. Following her dismissal, Mpahlwa achieved a final score of 73,20 %, which qualifies her for a performance bonus of 9% of her total package, according to documents tabled at a council meeting on Thursday 30 March.
The performance bonus payment is another twist in the "political dismissal" of Mpahlwa by the municipality in August last year.
Mpahlwa has since sent a letter of demand to the municipality "for breach of contract and … compensation for the full remainder of my employment contract".
This could add about R4m to what the municipality has to pay her, bringing the possible total to over R5m. Depending on the municipality's response, Mphalwa has indicated she will pursue the matter through legal channels.
Mpahlwa was hired by the previous ANC-led administration in Bitou on 1 February 2021 for five years on a salary package of R1 133 463 a year, but was dismissed by the new ruling coalition consisting of the DA/AUF/PDC, who had told her they could not work with people appointed by the previous administration.
Her dismissal on 31 August 2022 by Bitou Municipal Manager Mbulelo Memani and Mayor Dave Swart was found to be "substantively and procedurally unfair" by SALGBC Commissioner Andiswa Makasi, who said it involved political dimensions. Makasi also said the correct legal procedure was not followed.
At Thursday's council meeting, both Memani and Swart recommended that Council approve the payment of the performance bonus "in respect of the former Director Corporate Services at 9% of the total package as per upper limit notice applicable in the 2021/2022 financial year (excluding scarce skills allowances) once the annual report is finally adopted by Council".
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
