Theo Diergaardt said for local authority councillors to give 100 per cent commitment to their jobs, implement capital projects and attend to people's needs effectively, their positions should be full-time.

"The mayor is supposed to be the head of a municipality or a town but he or she is only an ex-officio member of the management committee with no voting powers," said Diergaardt.

He said most of the local authority councillors were employed full-time elsewhere.

"Those who are active in their duties are forced to sacrifice their private employment leave days to attend to council business," he said.

Diergaardt said local authority councillors were also forced by their employment status to compromise their "honourable status as elected leaders - for example the mayor being a clerk in a Government office."

"The duties imposed on the Mayor with regard to the development, planning, job creation, social well-being and the workloads of the management committee is of such a nature that it demands a full-time office," said Diergaardt.

He made these remarks during debate on the 2008-2009 National Budget in the National Council last week.

He called on the Government to review local authority structures and to make provision in the Budget for it.

Such a package, he said, should include full remuneration and a retirement fund.

At the moment, local authority councillors only receive a monthly allowance.

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