Top officials get pay rise

THE COUNTRY’S top politicians, judges and magistrates can look forward to an early Christmas gift after a Presidency proclamation that increased their salaries by 5 percent backdated to April.

This means President Jacob Zuma will now earn almost R2.9 million a year, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa will get R2.7m and cabinet ministers will receive more than R2.3m annually.

The wage hikes also mean the bill for 35 ministers, 38 deputies, heads of parliamentary committees, parliamentary whips, leaders of opposition parties, MPs, nine premiers, MECs and members of provincial legislatures will increase.

The hikes have been made according to the recommendations of the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers.

The increases were first drafted in August and were finalised last month. In May, the government signed a three-year pay deal with public sector unions representing teachers, nurses and other state workers after eight months of negotiations.

Civil servants received salary hikes of 7 percent, backdated to April, for the first year and 1 percent more than the consumer inflation rate for the next two years. That agreement took the state’s wage bill to over R460bn.

According to the proclamation gazette published yesterday, National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete’s annual pay will increase from R2.6m to over R2.7m and leader of the opposition Mmusi Maimane’s salary increases from R1.4 m to over R1.5m a year.

Gauteng premier David Makhura will now earn just over R2.1m, up from R2m. Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng jumps to R2.7m a year from R2.6m.

Full-time traditional leaders such as Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini will earn over R1.1m, up from R1m

Municipal mayors, their deputies, speakers and whips will get 5.5 percent hikes and councillors 6 percent.

With local elections next year, the hikes will be timely for councillors and mayors and boost severance and pension payments for those who will leave politics after elections.