The remarkable gap between politicians' salaries and the average South African salary is yet another indication of the huge inequality in South African society.

Politicians and public office bearers received a pay increase of 3% in July this year, backdated to 1 April 2022, after having their salaries frozen in 2019.

However, despite the salary freeze, the amounts they earn seem fantastically bloated, particularly when held up against the average South African salary.

The Outlier reports that the average Member of Parliament is in the top 2% of taxpayers in terms of earnings, and out-earns the average salaried worker four times over.

The average South African salary, according to Stats SA, is R25,304 - roughly R300,000 a year. Two-thirds of the country's registered taxpayers live on R150,000 or less a year.

Politicians' salaries vs ordinary South Africans

BankservAfrica, the largest automated payments clearing house on the continent, places the average nominal take-home salary even lower, pegging it at R15,503 in July.

"This was notably higher than the R14,169 in June this year and R14,509 in July 2022," says Shergeran Naidoo, BankservAfrica's head of stakeholder engagements.

The remarkable gap between politicians' salaries and the average South African salary is yet another indication of the huge inequality in South African society.

As per a World Bank report released in March last year, South Africa...