The best-paid South African bosses of 2024 – earning R251,000 per day

South Africa’s top CEOs of JSE-listed companies across nine industries earned an average of R250,940 per day in 2024, with pay packages ranging from R330 million at the top to R22.5 million at the bottom.
Leading large organisations in South Africa presents unique challenges, with these executives navigating a complex business environment shaped by economic constraints, political instability, and high levels of inequality.
Operational challenges, including fluctuating exchange rates, skills shortages, and unreliable infrastructure, further compound the difficulties, making the role of a CEO particularly demanding.
CEOs must ensure that their institutions remain competitive and navigate regulatory and compliance issues in a highly regulated environment.
They must ensure that their institutions adhere to government policies while also adapting to rapidly evolving industry trends, such as digital transformation.
Despite these hurdles, South Africa’s highest-paid CEOs significantly outpaced the earnings of their peers.
According to PwC’s 2024 Directors’ Remuneration and Trends Report, the median total guaranteed pay for CEOs of the top 200 JSE-listed companies was R8 million per annum.
When combined with short-term incentives (STIs) and long-term incentives (LTIs), the median total remuneration package rose to R19.71 million annually.
However, the top earners vastly exceeded this benchmark.
BusinessTech looked at some of the top-earning CEOs of JSE-listed companies across several industries.
Leading the pack was Bob van Dijk, the former CEO of Naspers, who earned an extraordinary R330 million for the year.
This equates to R904,109 per day. Naspers’ remuneration report revealed that his earnings included a basic salary of $1.4 million, a bonus of $1.4 million, and share options that elevated his total package.
A severance payment of $747,000 (R13.5 million) was also part of his compensation, which Naspers described as an appropriate payout for loss of office.
Mining executive Mike Henry of BHP Billiton secured the second spot with a total pay package of $8.5 million (R151.6 million), which included base salary, cash bonuses, and long-term incentive plans.
Banking executive Fani Titi of Investec came third, earning £5.24 million (R121 million) for the year, or R331,507 per day.
Shoprite CEO Pieter Engelbrecht also earned a notable mention, ranking fourth with a total remuneration of R83.272 million.
His package saw a significant increase of nearly R20 million from the previous year, including deferred incentives set to vest in two years.
Shoprite’s strong performance in 2024 contributed to Engelbrecht’s elevated earnings.
The company’s success continued into the first quarter of 2025, with sales growing by over 10%.
These earnings underscore the financial rewards for CEOs leading some of South Africa’s most prominent and successful companies, even amidst challenging conditions.
The top-paid CEOs across nine industries, including those mentioned above, are listed in the table below.
It is important to note that this list is not exhaustive, and some CEOs in these sectors may earn more than those listed below.
Category | Company | CEO | Annual salary | Average Per day |
---|---|---|---|---|
Technology | Naspers | Bob van Dijk* | $18.27 million (R330 million) | R904,109 |
Mining | BHP Billiton | Mike Henry | $8.5 million (R151.6 million) | R415,342 |
Banking | Investec | Fani Titi | £5.24 million (R121 million) | R331,507 |
Retail | Shoprite | Pieter Engelbrecht | R83.27 million | R228,137 |
Insurance | Old Mutual | Iain Williamson | R32.32 million | R88,548 |
Hospitality | Tsogo Sun | Chris Du Toit | R32.28 million | R88,438 |
Diversified | Discovery | Adrian Gore | R28.31 million | R77,562 |
Property | Vukile Property | Laurence Rapp | R23.2 million | R63,562 |
Education | ADvTECH | Roy Douglas** | R22.36 million | R61,260 |
Average | — | — | R91.59 million | R250,940 |
**Roy Douglas stepped down as CEO in February 2024 and was replaced by Geoff Whyte.
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