The proposed salary hikes for Ramaphosa, ministers and other millionaire politicians in South Africa

The Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers has gazetted its recommended salary increases for South Africa’s government officials in 2023.

The commission is mandated to make annual recommendations relating to the salaries, allowances, benefits, and other resources required by some public office bearers to enable them to perform their respective duties effectively.

The recommendations are based on consultations with the minister of finance, the minister of Justice, the chief justice, the lower courts remuneration committee, and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

The commission said it considered the fiscal condition of the State demonstrated by the Minister of Finance, the State’s wage bill, the impact of Public Office Bearers (POBs), salary increment on the fiscus, the President’s previous determinations, stakeholders’ submissions, and general economic status of the country.

It added that it is further mindful of the sliding scale recommendations in order to narrow the wage gap and the inflation-linked recommendations across all the sectors as well as their impact.

In light of these considerations and recommendations, the commission recommended a 3.8% increase to the remuneration for all categories of POBs, linked to the forecast average inflation of 4.8% determined by the National Treasury.

The Commission reduced the increase by 1% considering the factors stipulated above.

Among the proposed salaries is an increase for President Cyril Ramaphosa and Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who would take home R3.2 million and R3.02 million, respectively.

The commission also proposes an increase for leaders of the opposition parties in Parliament. John Steenhuisen, as the official opposition, would take home R1.71 million, while EFF leader Julius Malema and other leaders of minority parties will score R1.44 million.

It should be noted that these salary increases are not final and will need to be confirmed by the president. Parliament is responsible for approving Ramaphosa’s salary as president.

The proposed salaries are outlined in more detail below.

President, Deputy President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers

Members of the National Assembly and Delegates to the National Council of Provinces

Premiers, Executive Councils and Provincial Legislatures

Despite the decided recommendations, there are many contentions with the proposal, which includes the finance minister, the National Treasury, and other stakeholders.

Some POBs have demanded a 7% increase in light of recent inflationary numbers, while others have called for even more, as they pointed to a 20.6% decrease in their effective pay in recent years.

However, finance minister Enoch Godongwana said the fiscus can only afford a 1.5% increase and pleaded with the commission to re-assess the prevailing adverse economic conditions and the extent to which the general population faces despair, especially the survival of the population on government social assistance schemes and containing the wage bill to distribute funding to extreme priority programmes.

Godongwana noted that these salary increases cost the government R20.5 billion in the 2021/22 fiscal year, with a preliminary carry-through of R20.5 billion in 2022/23 if no new agreement is reached.

In a note obtained by Business Day, The Treasury said that the salary recommendations are tone-deaf in a country battling high levels of poverty, forcing President Cyril Ramaphosa into a deft balancing act.

“Public office bearers are already receiving above-average remuneration, and the current recommendation by the commission will increase earnings beyond tolerable scales when budget constraints do not permit for such increases,” said the Treasury.

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The proposed salary hikes for Ramaphosa, ministers and other millionaire politicians in South Africa