More than R500 million to keep ministers and deputies going in South Africa

Salaries to staff in private offices of 18 out of the country’s 32 ministers cost the public purse at least R230 million per year, with estimates exceeding R500 million when ministers and deputy minister salaries are included.

The total figure shoots past R1 billion when factoring in perks, protection and properties associated with the government positions.

This was revealed in recent written replies to parliamentary questions asked by Build One South Africa (BOSA) MPs, where 18 (56%) ministers responded to the party’s written questions asking what the:

• (a) total number of staff employed and/or provided as Ministerial support in his/her and the Deputy Minister’s private offices;
• (b) job title, annual remuneration package and highest level of academic qualification of each specified member of staff.

Looking at some of the Ministers’ responses, the Minister of Employment and Labour and her deputies maintain 23 staff members, with an annual R17.8 million remuneration price tag.

The Minister of Agriculture has a staff of 18 people across both offices, costing R14.2 million annually, while the Minister of International Relations and Co-operation oversees 22 staff members with a total salary bill of over R15 million.

“While we await responses from the rest of the ministers in cabinet, we can estimate that the cost to pay salaries in private offices will exceed R420 million per year,” said BOSA spokesperson Roger Solomons.

If the salaries of the ministers and deputy ministers themselves are included, this figure increases to over R600 million per year in salaries alone.

Solomons said the party “is deeply concerned about the size, cost, and bloated staffing of ministers’ private offices,” given the strain on the country’s fiscus.

“The figures expose an excessive drain on taxpayers’ resources, while ordinary South Africans continue to struggle with unemployment, poor service delivery, and a housing crisis,” he added.

South Africa’s large executive

South Africa’s largest-ever national executive was appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa on June 30, 2024, after weeks of intense negotiations.

For the first time in South Africa’s democratic history, no single party obtained an outright majority in the general elections, with the incumbent African National Congress (ANC) falling to around 40% of the vote.

The ANC needed to arrange a coalition if it wanted to join the new government, which it labeled a ‘Government of National Unity (GNU)’ made up of 10 parties represented in the National Assembly.

Going against a 2019 report by the Department of Public Service and Administration previous promises of reducing South Africa’s oversized executive, Ramaphosa looked to accommodate the wants of the ANC, its alliance partners, and members of the GNU and increased its size.

“In the course of the sixth democratic administration, we indicated our intention to reduce the number of portfolios in the national executive [however]… this has not been possible,” said Ramaphosa during the cabinet announcement.

There are now 32 ministers and 43 deputy ministers from members of the ANC, DA, IFP, PA, PAC, UDM, FF Plus, Al Jama-ah, and GOOD parties.

The price tag

According to a recent analysis conducted by BusinessTech, South Africans could expect to pay at least R1.2 billion annually for the country’s 75 Ministers and Deputy Ministers.

Preliminary estimates show that the annual costs of South Africa’s Ministers and Deputies will be made up of:

• Ministers and Deputies salaries – R181.33 million;
• Support staff salaries – R467.33 million;
• Other perks – R553 million (data from 6th administration, thus it is likely to be higher in the 7th).

This excludes the estimated 97 luxury residences for Ministers and Deputy Ministers in Pretoria and Cape Town, which are collectively worth another R1 billion.

Taxpayers will also have to cover approximately R500 million for VIP protection and security.

Senior lecturer at Wits Business School Paul Kaseke previously wrote that “nobody would really mind how large the cabinet is if there were no financial implications attached.”

However, this is not the case.

“Critics may well argue that saving [money].. by cutting out deputy ministers is a drop in the ocean… but every cent saved by the state counts,” said Kaseke.

Read: Eskom lays the blame for wanting a massive 36% prike hike