Zuma’s salary vs global presidents
President Jacob Zuma’s salary increase for 2016 was approved by National Assembly on Thursday (10 March), taking his total pay up to R2.87 million.
Zuma’s increase is in line with recommendations made by the Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers, which stated the president should get a 5% rise.
The Commission also recommended a 6% to 8% increase for other public offices, however, Zuma cut this down to 4.4%, taking into account the recent economic turmoil in the country.
When compared to other presidents globally, Zuma’s salary is high – amounting to R7,863 per day.
President Barack Obama – leader of the the richest country in the world, the USA – is paid a flat rate of $400,000 (R6.2 million in at current exchange rates), but that’s a country with six times the population and eight times the punch in terms of GDP per capita.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is widely known to command the highest salary of any politician in the world.
The politician has taken several pay cuts over the years, but still earns a reported $1.7 million a year – far higher than any other official world leader.
Here are a few world leaders, and how Zuma’s latest increase compares to publicly available – official – data.
| Leader | Country | Salary (US$) | Salary (ZAR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Hsien Loong | Singapore | $1.7 million | R26 million |
| Barack Obama | United States | $400 000 | R6.2 million |
| Malcolm Turnbull | Australia | $397 800 | R6.1 million |
| Justin Trudeau | Canada | $252 000 | R3.9 million |
| Angela Merkel | Germany | $234 400 | R3.7 million |
| David Cameron | UK | $214 800 | R3.3 million |
| Shinzo Abe | Japan | $202 700 | R3.1 million |
| Francois Hollande | France | $194 300 | R3.0 million |
| Jacob Zuma | South Africa | $188 000 | R2.9 million |
| Vladamir Putin | Russia | $125 000 | R2.5 million |
| Dilma Rousseff | Brazil | $120 000 | R2.1 million |
| Pranab Mukherjee | India | $30 300 | R462 500 |
Notably, as the figures above are converted from dollar terms (at USD 1 = ZAR 15.26) Zuma’s “rank” among world leaders is lessened somewhat due to the rand weakness.
Data published in September 2015, by media house, Africa Review, showed that president Zuma was the third-highest paid leader on the African continent.
Note: due to the rand weakness vs the dollar, the dollar value of Zuma’s salary (and presumably the other salaries) listed below are now much lower.
Africa’s highest paid presidents
| # | President | Country | Salary (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Biya | Cameroon | 610 000 |
| 2 | King Mohammed VI | Morocco | 480 000 |
| 3 | Jacob Zuma | South Africa | 272 000 |
| 4 | Jakaya Kikwete | Tanzania | 192 000 |
| 5 | Abdel Aziz Bouteflika | Algeria | 168 000 |
| 6 | Teodoro Nguema | Equatorial Guinea | 150 000 |
| 7 | Uhuru Kenyatta | Kenya | 132 000 |
| 8 | Ikililou Dhonine | Comoros | 115 000 |
| 9 | Denis Sassou Nguesso | Congo Republic | 110 000 |
| 10 | Hage Geingob | Namibia | 110 000 |
| 11 | Robert Mugabe | Zimbabwe | 108 000 |
| 12 | Ameenah Gurib Fakim | Mauritius | 104 838 |
| 13 | Alassane Outtara | Cote D’Ivoire | 100 000 |
| 14 | Ellen Johnson Sirleaf | Liberia | 90 000 |
| 15 | Paul Kagame | Rwanda | 85 000 |
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