A report by MyBroadband has stated that executives at South Africa’s Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) have received nearly six-fold salary increases in the past five years.
The report referenced information published by the Sunday Times, which conducted an investigation into the matter.
According to the RTIA’s financial records, its executive team went from earning an average of R1.3 million each per year, to R7.5 million each per year.
“That comes to an average increase of R1.24 million per year. Executives would’ve had to receive average annual increases of 42% per year, every year for five years, to see such massive increases in pay,” stated the report.
In RTIA CEO Japh Chuwe’s case, a R3.3-million annual salary in 2019 rose to R10.8 million in 2020.
The large pay rise was followed by Chuwe’s suspension and eventual dismissal in October 2021 for what the auditor-general called “serious maladministration”.
The RTIA’s CFO Palesa Moalusi was also suspended, with full pay. Moalusi earned R5.4 million in 2020.
What the RTIA does
The RTIA states on its website that its objectives are to “administer a procedure to discourage the contravention of road traffic laws” and to “enforce penalties imposed against persons contravening road traffic laws”.
This includes running the system that covers traffic infringements like speeding and driving with an expired licence disc.
Following the Aarto Act and Aarto Amendment Act being ruled unconstitutional in the Pretoria High Court in January, the AA has stated the RTIA should cease to exist.
The AA said the RTIA is a byproduct of Aarto, and for years “has acted outside all reasonable bounds”.
“Aarto and the RTIA have added no value to road safety and merely provided secure and lucrative employment for a select few. As such, we welcome the court’s decision as a landmark in good governance in South Africa,” said the AA.
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