Parliament asked to bump up salary of deputy public protector to put her on par with predecessor

The department of justice and correctional services on Friday presented a request for the National Assembly to approve a salary adjustment for the deputy public protector (DPP), who earns less than her predecessor.  

Deputy minister John Jeffery said  Kholeka Gcaleka, who took over from Kevin Malunga, earns far less than he did.   

“The current salary of the DPP sees her earning considerably less than the executive management of the institution over which she shares oversight, thus undermining her authority to fulfil her responsibilities,” he said.

“The salary earned by her predecessor was considerably higher than the salary she had been offered and the difference was only communicated to her after she accepted the position and started her work.  

“Given the above, the president [Cyril Ramaphosa] made a determination of R1,814,065 per annum. The president interacted with the minister of finance and with the minister of justice and correctional services on this matter and both of them are in agreement with this determination.”

Jeffery added no other chapter 9 institution has such a significant salary gap between the head of the institution and their deputy.  

This request, if approved by the National Assembly, will be with effect from February 1 2020, which is the date of appointment of the current DPP.  

“The determination of R1,814,065 per annum by the president is the same as the remuneration paid to the previous incumbent, Kevin Malunga, when he vacated office towards the end of 2019,” said Jeffery.

“The president is therefore of the view that the current DPP should receive the same remuneration as the previous DPP as the remuneration of a political office bearer is linked to the office that the person holds and not to the individual occupying that office.”

The current remuneration of the DPP is around R1,446,378, with a recommended increase of 4% which amounts to R1,504,233.  

The motion was supported by the ANC, with a reservation from the DA and the ACDP.

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