How much money kings and other traditional leaders get paid in South Africa

South Africa now has eight kings officially recognised by the government – with president Cyril Ramaphosa recognising Prince Misuzulu Sinqobile Zulu as king of the AmaZulu Kingship in March 2022.

Answering in a recent written parliamentary Q&A, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said that these recognised kings are permitted to collect an annual salary as determined by the president.

This annual salary is based on the recommendations made by the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers, she said.

The recommendations are based on consultations with the minister of finance, the minister of Justice, the chief justice and Lower Courts Remuneration Committee, and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

Dlamini-Zuma outlined the salaries paid to each of the country’s kings over the last five years based on these recommendations:

Dlamini-Zuma said that ‘fringe benefits’ are also given to all traditional leaders by their respective provincial governments. However, she noted there is no specific information available on the benefits each province provides to their kings as this differences from province to province.

What other traditional leaders earn 

South Africa most recently gazetted its salaries for traditional leaders in July 2021, with salaries offered to a wide range of roles, including the national and provincial houses of traditional leaders.

Note: NHTL = National House of Traditional Leaders | PHTL = Provincial House of Traditional Leaders