Traffic agency goes all out to deal with executive salary hikes

A Sunday Times exposé into the shocking salaries and bonuses paid to executives at the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) has prompted the entity to announce its intention to institute “processes to recover payments that might have been unduly made”.

The Sunday Times reported the agency has spent millions on its top executives, multiplying their earnings each year. Some packages as much as tripled in a year thanks to a skills retention scheme, performance bonuses and other perks.

The Sunday Times probe into the agency’s financial records revealed that over five years, the executive team went from earning an annual average income of R1.3m per person to R7.5m.

“The board would like to assure the public that it has made significant strides and continues to implement the relevant consequence management in rooting out any forms of maladministration and corruption among the agency ranks, regardless of the position individuals occupy,” said RTIA spokesperson Monde Mkalipi.

“The agency has instituted processes to recover payments that might have been unduly made and will not hesitate to implement the recommendations of the investigations without fear or favour as part of consequence management on whoever is found to have broken the law,” said RTIA board chairperson Bongekile Zulu.

“Some of the performance payments alleged to have been paid to top management were due to be awarded at the end of the financial year 2019/20 by the previous accounting authority.

“Since the current board took office in August 2020, no bonuses have been paid to executives.”

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