Allexer Namundjembo
Local authority councillors across Namibia are set to receive salary increases after the ministry of urban and rural development approved adjustments to their allowances, saying the move seeks to recognise councillors’ contributions while taking into account the financial challenges facing local authorities.
The revised remuneration was announced in a circular dated 2 July, signed by the ministry’s executive director Wilhelmine Shivute and addressed to chief executive officers of municipalities, town councils and village councils.
According to the circular, the ministry conducted “a comprehensive assessment of the current allowances payable to Local Authority councillors, taking into account the financial position of Local Authority councils as most councils continue to experience constrained revenue basis.”
For Part Two municipalities, mayors will see their annual allowances increase from N$102,246 to N$108,380.76, while their monthly allowance will rise from N$8,520 to N$9,031.73.
Deputy mayors will receive N$99,088.80 annually, up from N$93,480, while chairpersons of management committees will earn N$102,186.12, compared to the previous N$96,402.
Other management committee members will receive N$99,088.80 annually, while ordinary councillors’ allowances increase from N$87,636 to N$92,894.16.
Councillors serving on town councils will receive a 6% salary increase.
Under the new structure, town mayors’ annual allowances will increase from N$93,000 to N$101,370.
Deputy mayors will receive N$91,233, management committee chairpersons N$94,607.64, committee members N$87,585.36, while ordinary councillors will earn N$84,470 annually.
Village council members will receive the largest adjustment, with allowances increasing by 12%.
Chairpersons will earn N$64,041.60 per year, deputies N$56,515.20, while councillors will receive N$48,917.36 annually.
Despite the salary adjustments, cellphone and airtime allowances for councillors will remain unchanged.
According to the circular, mayors of Part Two municipalities will continue receiving N$1,000 per month, deputy mayors N$600, management committee chairpersons N$700, while other councillors will continue receiving N$300 per month.
The ministry has also standardised sitting allowances.
Municipal and town council members will receive N$350 per sitting, while village council members will receive N$200 per sitting.
The circular states that the allowances apply to ordinary council and management committee meetings and are limited to one meeting per category per month, in line with approved annual meeting schedules. Extra-ordinary meetings will be limited to two meetings per month.
The ministry said the adjustments were designed to strike a balance between recognising councillors’ work and ensuring councils remain financially sustainable.
“Notwithstanding this concern, the proposed increase represents a balanced approach that seeks to recognize the contribution of councillors while simultaneously safeguarding the financial sustainability of local authority councils and protecting the delivery of essential services to local authorities,” the circular states.
The ministry also emphasised that local authority councillors perform their responsibilities on a part-time basis, exercising their decision-making powers collectively through council meetings and committee structures.
It further acknowledged disparities in the financial capacity of councils, noting that councils within the same category often have significantly different revenue bases.
“By way of example, councils such as Okakarara Town Council and Ongwediva Town Council fall within the same category despite considerable difference in their respective revenue bases and economic activity levels,” the circular notes.
