Compared to far stronger economies, it’s understandable that at R1.03 million a year, South African MPs earn less.\u00a0The US, for example, pays its senators R2.3 million a year- while Australian MPs receive a basic package of R2.03 million.<\/p>\n
However, despite the freeze, South Africa is still on par with some other African nations, and far ahead the likes of India.<\/p>\n
This is how South African MPs’ annual salaries compare with equivalents (senators, congressmen and women, etc) from around the world – looking at leading nations, as well as a few African countries and BRIC counterparts:<\/p>\n
| Country<\/th>\n | Annual MP Salary (local)<\/th>\n | Annual MP Salary (ZAR)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USA<\/td>\n | $174 000<\/td>\n | R2 318 219<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| Australia<\/td>\n | A$199 040<\/td>\n | R2 033 392<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| Canada<\/td>\n | $170 400<\/td>\n | R1 732 616<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| Brazil<\/td>\n | Br404 400<\/td>\n | R1 728 306<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| Germany<\/td>\n | \u20ac108 984<\/td>\n | R1 543 782<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| UK<\/td>\n | \u00a374 962<\/td>\n | R1 249 848<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| France<\/td>\n | \u20ac85 200<\/td>\n | R1 206 976<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| Russia<\/td>\n | Rb5 040 000<\/td>\n | R1 159 500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
| Uganda<\/td>\n | Ush300 000 000<\/td>\n | R1 113 974<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | ||||||
South Africa<\/strong><\/td>\n| <\/td>\n | R1 033 438<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | India<\/td>\n | r1 680 000<\/td>\n | R333 671<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n | Nigeria<\/td>\n | N2 026 400<\/td>\n | R85 696<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/div>\n | Currency conversions done on 13 February 2017<\/em><\/p>\n The\u00a0salaries above are taken from the latest publicly-available information and do not cover all the additional extras that are attached with being in government roles, which can balloon significantly.<\/p>\n In Nigeria, for instance, senators have allowances totalling over 12.9 million naira every year (R545,000). Nigerian senators are also given a further 24.1 million niara (R1 million) every four years to cover accommodation, vehicle loans and possible severance allowance – this takes the total closer to R1.65 million.<\/p>\n Similar practices are seen all over the world, where total salaries – including benefits – are more than double the basic salaries. The same applies in South Africa, where the ministerial handbook grants many benefits, which are over and above the salary figures listed above.<\/p>\n In the UK, members of parliament are given a basic salary, with an additional “ministerial entitlement” depending on their role (minister, chancellor, whip, etc). This results in higher level salaries almost doubling in some cases.<\/p>\n A further caveat to the data is that it does not represent purchasing power parity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n A study done in 2015 (using global salary data from 2012) provided more insight into how salaries shift when adjusted for PPP.<\/p>\n The following graph shows the average monthly salary of politicians across the globe, in PPP dollars, from that study.<\/p>\n |
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/MP-salary-640x310.png\")
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