Red flags raised in probe of parliament secretary’s R4 million salary hike

Long-running calls for an investigation into the appointment of overpaid Parliament Secretary Xolile George have hit another hurdle after the matter was given over to the Public Protector.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) recently submitted a complaint to the office of the Public Protector regarding irregularities in the appointment of Secretary to Parliament, Xolile George. 

This is after it was uncovered that the secretary’s salary ballooned from R2.5 million annually to R6.1 million in just three years. 

However, after submitting the complaint, it came to the attention of DA Chief Whip George Michalakis that Public Protector Kholeka Gcaleka may be in a romantic relationship with George. 

He wrote to Gcaleka and requested that the Public Protector clarify if such a relationship exists and how she will handle the matter. 

Gcaleka was then required by law to reveal that there was a conflict of interest in investigating George. She has not revealed the exact nature of the relationship, but she said she has properly handled the potential conflict.

“I immediately disclosed to Adv N Nkabinde, the Chief Operations Officer and to the Head of Legal Services, Adv N vd Merwe, that I may reasonably be perceived to have a conflict between my private interests and my official duties in this matter,” the Public Protector said. 

She said that this should not affect the integrity of the investigation, however, because investigations are conducted “at arms’ length from the Public Protector and managed by professional investigators within established institutional frameworks.”

The Public Protector has recused herself to ensure a fair, unbiased and proper investigation, handing her duties in this case over to the Deputy Public Protector. 

The DA then questioned the Speaker of Parliament, Thoko Didiza, on whether George himself had disclosed such a possible conflict of interest before being appointed to his position in parliament.

“This is important, since the Public Protector is the head of a Chapter 9 institution that may well in future be called on to investigate matters related to parliament, of which George is the accounting officer,” said Michalakis. 

Didiza responded that the allegations are of a personal nature and fall only within the responsibility of the Office of the Public Protector to respond. 

The DA claims this is not true, as such a conflict would have as much of an impact on George’s work as it would on the public protector. 

from R2.6 million to R6.1 million in three years

George’s appointment has been under renewed scrutiny after a civil society organisation, Corruption Watch, flagged the irregular salary increases in December 2025.

The organisation wrote to parliament seeking answers, addressing a letter to Didiza, along with the Deputy Speaker and Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces. 

According to the Corruption Watch letter, the Secretary of Parliament position was first advertised in February 2020 with an annual salary of R2,457,227.

A subsequent advertisement was published on 20 March 2022, reflecting an updated remuneration package of R2,604,661.

However, the salary spiked once George was appointed on 1 June 2022 for a five-year term ending on 31 May 2027.

The organisation found that in three years, George enjoyed hefty salary increases, first from R2.6 million to over R4 million, and then from R4.5 million to R6.1 million.

The issue was first brought to light in 2024, when Scorpio, the investigative group of The Daily Maverick, found that the salary increase to R4.4 million was quietly approved and backdated from the date of George’s appointment in June 2022.

This was found to be in direct conflict with an earlier decision by the Executive Authority to cap the secretarial salary. An independent lawyer described the increases as “highly questionable.”

Daily Maverick reported that there was evidence suggesting George had a hand in drafting his own contract.

“This situation has persisted without intervention by Didiza’s office, and we believe that increasing the salary to such a level constitutes a serious abuse of power,” Corruption Watch said.

The organisation demanded an explanation from Didiza on 18 December, giving Parliament 30 days to respond. If a response was received by the organisation, it was never shared publicly.

Corruption Watch demanded to know if the salary increase was based on a formal job evaluation or determined through a review and recommendation process, and requested documentation of such.

Furthermore, the organisation demanded to know if the salary increase was formally approved by the National Assembly and the Chairperson of the NCOP.

Parliament is yet to officially respond to the matter. Didiza said on 6 February that parliament will not sweep the matter under the rug.

“The matter is surfacing again, we will have to look at the records and what was done, and to report to the relevant committee of parliament,” she said.