Government

Minimum R1.4 million salaries for managers in South Africa’s collapsing municipalities

Jonathan Hoyle

 ·6 Aug 2026

South Africa’s municipal managers can expect to earn at least R1.4 million, with a maximum set at over R3.8 million, despite the collapse of many local areas in the country.

The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) has gazetted the latest determinations for municipal manager salaries in South Africa.

The gazette lays out the minimum and maximum salaries municipal managers can earn in the country, based on a point allocation determined by various factors.

These include a municipality’s total population, the income it produces, and its total equitable municipal share.

The calculations are done using audited financial results, the 2022 census data, and current equitable share allocations.

These factors are weighted on a scale, with points awarded for each metric, which then determines a municipality’s grade from 1 to 10.

The gazette explains that the payment structure is designed so that salaries are both cost-effective and externally competitive.

The document also outlines salary increases for managers who remain in their roles, encouraging retention within local government administrations.

In addition to outlining pay structures, the gazette requires municipalities to appoint managers who meet the minimum competencies and qualifications.

Based on these statistics, municipal managers in larger or metropolitan areas can expect to earn higher salaries than those in smaller municipalities.

For example, the Johannesburg municipal manager, Floyd Brink, would earn between R3.4 million and R3.8 million, based on the points system, which ranks the metro as a Grade 10 municipality.

Ekurhuleni’s municipal manager, Kagiso Lerutla, would earn between R3.1 million and R3.4 million per year, as the area is ranked Grade 9.

The high earnings for these municipal managers are largely due to the income which they generate from their large populations.

Municipal managers in smaller or rural areas could earn between R1.4 million and R1.6 million, depending on how long they stay in the position.

This would reflect the salaries of managers in grade 1 municipalities, which have small populations and generate very little income.

Widespread municipal collapse

The recent salary information for municipal managers indicates that they will earn at least R1.4 million per year.

This comes as South Africa is seeing municipalities collapse around the country, as outlined recently by the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA).

In its report on audited municipal finances for the 2025 financial year, the office of the AGSA noted that only 15% of municipalities received clean audits.

The body also said that none of South Africa’s metros achieved a clean audit, with most being unqualified with findings.

It said that the only metros with good financial health indicators were Cape Town and Ethekwini, while Ekurhuleni and Mangaung were the most distressed.

The poor financial health of several metro areas comes as their managers are among the highest-paid in the country.

The AGSA said these problems are more prevalent in smaller municipalities, which lack accountability, leading to poor service delivery and financial performance.

“The absence of adequate institutional capability, compounded by persistent governance failures, increases the vulnerability of communities to the adverse effects of poor municipal management,” it said.

“The poor responsiveness and disregard for accountability at the municipal level have had tangible consequences.”

The auditor general also noted worrying patterns in several municipalities and reported 516 material irregularities before the end of 2025.

Within these material irregularities, the AGSA noted 305 cases of financial losses, and 110 cases which posed substantial harm to the public.

Those posing a risk to the public included failures to ensure safe drinking water, mismanagement of landfill sites, and pollution of water resources, among other irregularities.

These irregularities largely represent failures from municipalities to safeguard public resources and efficiently provide services to residents.

Municipal Managers salary determinations

Municipal manager’s salary ranges