South Africa: The Wages of the High Life - SA Politicians Getting Fat Off the Public Purse

opinion

If you hadn't already noticed the ever-expanding waistlines of most of our politicians - a tell-tale sign of a political class feeding feverishly at the public trough - then you might have missed the latest bulging of their other 'stomach', salaries.

Following enabling recommendations from the 'Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers', President Zuma signed off on the most recent salary hike for the country's national and provincial politicians that further cements South Africa's status as one of the best places in the world to be a politician. As a result Zuma himself, 34 Ministers, 33 Deputy Ministers, 52 Parliamentary Chairpersons, 53 Parliamentary Whips, leaders of opposition parties, around 200 MPs, 9 Premiers, 90 MECs and 331 MPLs will pad their already hefty pay packages with another 5% windfall (backdated to April last year).

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