According to the DA, Philisiwe Mthethwa, CEO of the National Empowerment Fund (NBF) is probably the highest paid civil servant in South Africa.
Mthethwa receives a combined salary package of more than R6 million during the previous financial year. “That’s R2 million more than Pres. Cyril Ramaphosa earns “said Dean Macpherson, DA MP and shadow minister of trade and industry.
She has been the “highest paid civil servant” for several years and her package includes a R2 million bonus. “Her massive salary is shocking, given that the NBF has very little money to do its job and that the entity cannot explain the CEO’s excessive salary.
“The NBF was established in 1998 to provide capital financing to black entrepreneurs and while their initial work has shown success after receiving government funding, repeated budget cuts have left the organization without money, except for their overpaid executives. They all receive a combined total salary of more than R17 million – and all earn bonuses of between R580 000 and R1.2 million. ”
Macpherson said it is clear that there are numerous government entities that do not actually serve a purpose other than to finance the lifestyle of highly paid executive members.
“The time for talking is now over. We cannot spend money to finance the lifestyle of public servants at the expense of entrepreneurs who are desperate to grow their businesses and create jobs. ”
He said the party would meet with Commerce and Industry Minister Ebrahim Patel to hear when the NBF will be included in the State Development Financing Corporation (IDC), a state-owned financier, so that the “small business interests can be set first”.