How much money people who report to John Steenhuisen get paid

People at entities, agencies, and institutions that report to Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen earn, on average, between R296,000 and R867,000 annually.

Steenhuisen was appointed as South Africa’s Minister of Agriculture in July 2024 after the formation of the government of national unity (GNU).

He also continues to serve as the leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), a position he has held since November 2020. He took over from the former DA leader Mmusi Maimane.

In a recent parliamentary question and answer session, Mmusi Maimane asked Steenhuisen for details about the entities he oversees.

Maimane requested a list of the entities, agencies, and institutions that report to Steenhuisen or are under the administration of his department.

He also requested the number of staff employed by each entity, agency, and institution, as well as the total salary bill for each.

Steenhuisen provided a list of entities that report to him, which are provided below.

• Perishable Products Export Control Board (PPECB) with 600 permanent employees and temporary employees.

• Agricultural Research Council (ARC) with 2,078 permanent, 211 contracted and 817 temporary staff, with a total of 3,106 employees.

• Onderstepoort Biological Products (OBP) with 197 employees.

• National Agricultural Marketing Council (NAMC) with 45 permanent employees and 2 contracted employees.

• South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) with 23 employees.

• Wine Certification Authority (WCA) with 7 employees.

He added that there are no agencies or institutions that report to him or are administered by his department.

Steenhuisen further provided the total salary bill for each of the entities, which are listed in the table below.

How much CEOs who report to John Steenhuisen earn

National Assembly Member Patrick Atkinson asked Steenhuisen a similar question to Maimane but focused on the salaries of top executives.

He asked for details about the state-owned enterprise that reports to him and details about the remuneration package of chief executive officers (CEOs).

He also asked for details about the performance bonuses that were paid to each CEO and how remuneration and how they align with the state’s remuneration guidelines.

Steenhuisen said the remuneration of CEOs can exceeds the prescribed limits set out by the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) for public servants.

He said this discrepancy arises because Schedule 3A entities, while publicly funded, operate with a degree of autonomy.

That allows them to set executive compensation based on market-related considerations and to attract and retain the skills, particularly required in that sector.

The minister provided a breakdown of the annual total remuneration package of the CEOs who report to him, broken down into basic salaries and benefits.