Proposed salary increases for Ramaphosa and cabinet ministers for 2022

The Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers has gazetted its recommended salary increases for South Africa’s government officials in 2022.

The commission is mandated to make annual recommendations relating to the salaries, allowances, benefits, and other resources required by some public office bearers to enable them to perform their respective duties effectively.

The recommendations are based on consultations with the minister of finance, the minister of Justice, the chief justice, the lower courts remuneration committee, and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.

The commission said it considered the submissions received from various stakeholders relating to the salaries, allowances and benefits of public office bearers. It further considered the fiscal condition of the state considering the Covid pandemic, the state’s wage bill, and how an increase would impact the fiscus.

Based on these factors, the commission recommends a 3% increase in remuneration across all categories of public office bearers.

The below table shows what president Cyril Ramaphosa and his cabinet ministers currently earn, and the new recommended salary following a 3% increase.

It should be noted that these salary increases are not final and will need to be confirmed by the president. Parliament is responsible for approving Ramaphosa’s salary as president.

In 2020, Ramaphosa, the deputy president, and some members of the cabinet said they would take a 33% pay cut for three months as part of a contribution to South Africa’s fight against the coronavirus, donating the money to the country’s Solidarity Fund.

The president also opted to freeze wages in both 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the Covid pandemic.

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