By Chinasaokwu Helen okoro
South Africa’s National Assembly features 18 political parties, with each leader earning a minimum of R1.5 million.
The pay of parliamentarians in South Africa has often been a point of contention, with a standard member of the National Assembly earning over R1.2 million per year / R100,000 per month.
According to Stats SA’s latest quarterly employment survey (QES), this is far more than the average salary in South Africa, which is R26,791 a month.
The latest BankservAfrica Take-home Pay Index (BTPI), which tracks the average nominal take-home pay among about 4 million salary earners in South Africa, also reached a mere R15,492 in June.
However, many South Africans may be angry about the salaries paid to the leaders of political parties.
South African and ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa is the highest earner. Although his latest salary is yet to be approved, the Presidency budgets roughly R4.2 million.
Notably, Ramaphosa has previously donated his salary to various organisations, such as the Nelson Mandela Foundation.
For other political leaders, unlike previous administrations where the ANC held all the executive roles, several other political party leaders are now ministers.
This comes after the formation of the Government of the National Unity (GNU) between the ANC and several other parties after the ANC lost its majority in parliament for the first time since the start of the democratic era.
Thus, DA leader John Steenhuisen now earns close to R2.7 million after being named Minister of Agriculture.
Other political party leaders that earn R2.7 million as Ministers include:
IFP leader Velenkosini Hlabisa (Minister of Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs)
PA leader Gayton Mckenzie (Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture)
FF Plus leader Pieter Groenewald (Minister of Correctional Services)
PAC leader Mzwanele Nyhontso (Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development)
GOOD Party leader Patricia De Lille (Minister of Tourism)
The UDMs’ Bantu Holomisa and Al Jama-ah’s Ganief Hendricks earn R2.2 million as the Deputy Ministers of Defence and Social Development, respectively.
Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi earns close to R1.7 million as the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA). Rise Mzansi is also a member of the GNU but doesn’t hold any executive positions.
Looking outside the GNU, MK Party’s John Hlophe earns nearly R1.8 million as the Leader of the Opposition.
Although former South African President Jacob Zuma is seen as the leader of MK, he can’t be an MP due to a prior conviction for contempt of court. Former Judge Hlophe officially runs the party’s operations in parliament.
Similarly, Atholl Trollip is currently the Parliamentary Leader of ActionSA despite Herman Mashaba being the organisation’s President.
As the leader of a Minority Party, EFF leader Julius Malema earns R1.5 million as a salary, along with five other leaders.
The official yearly salary of political party leaders in parliament can be found below:
Leader Party Current Role Annual Salary
*Cyril Ramaphosa ANC President of South Africa R4 200 000
*John Steenhuisen DA Minister of Agriculture R2 689 937
*John Hlophe MK Leader of the Opposition R1 792 595
*Julius Malema EFF Minority Party Leader R1 507 841
*Velenkosini Hlabisa IFP Minister of COGTA R2 689 937
*Gayton Mckenzie PA Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture R2 689 937
*Pieter Groenewald FF Plus Minister of Correctional Services R2 689 937
*Athol Trollip ActionSA Minority Party Leader R1 507 841
*Kenneth Meshoe ACDP Minority Party Leader R1 507 841
*Bantu Holomisa UDM Deputy Minister of Defence R2 215 220
*Songezo Zibi RISE Mzansi Chair of SCOPA R1 675 314
*Mmusi Maimane BOSA Chair of the Appropriations Committee R1 675 314
*Vuyolwethu Zungula ATM Minority Party Leader R1 507 841
*Ganief Hendricks Al Jama-ah Deputy
Minister of Social Development R2 215 220
*Fadiel Adams NCC Minority Party Leader R1 507 841
*Mzwanele Nyhontso PAC Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development R2 689 937
*Lehlohonolo Mahlatsi UAT Minority Party Leader R1 507 841
*Patricia de Lille Good Minister of Tourism
