The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomed acting National Assembly Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli’s commitment to investigate the salary increase of the Secretary to Parliament.

The matter relates to the salary hike that was approved by the then Speaker of the National Assembly Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula for the Secretary to Parliament Xolile George, raising his salary from the advertised and approved maximum of R2.6-million to R4.4-million.

DA Chief Whip Siviwe Gwarube argued on Friday morning during the National Assembly’s Programming Committee, that the salary hike of over 70% for the Secretary to Parliament must be investigated.

Gwarube said she took the matter to the Joint Standing Committee of Financial Management of Parliament (JSCFMP) to probe but claimed that the African National Congress (ANC) blocked those efforts.

“I took the matter to the Powers and Privileges Committee for investigation; the ANC elected to sweep the matter under the carpet,” she explained.

“It is a victory that the Acting Speaker will table the matter with the JSCFMP which is tasked with oversight of the Parliamentary budget,” said Gwarube.

She noted that the matter needed a resolution before this term ended, saying gone were the days where the ANC got "to play fast and loose with the people’s Parliament and not be held accountable for it”.