How much do our politicians earn?

The backdated part of Gauteng politicians’ annual pay increase is as much as a year’s wages for a security guard.

Johannesburg - The backdated part of the Gauteng politicians’ annual pay increase is as much as a year’s wages for a domestic worker or security guard.

The increases for the Gauteng provincial government politicians were gazetted this week and are effective from April 1 last year, effectively giving them a year’s backpay on the increases. All the increases are 4.4 percent.

The MECs’ pay goes from R1.822 million a year to R1.902m.

The extra R80 149 in backpay each MEC gets is more than a year’s pay for a municipal worker on the minimum wage of R6 014 a month.

The MPLs are the lowest paid of the Gauteng politicians, with their pay going from R958 056 to R1 000 210, the first time they’re paid more than a million rand a year.

Their back payment of R42 154 each is worth about a year’s wages to a grade D or E security guard in Joburg on the minimum wage of R3 482 a month, or a Joburg supermarket cashier on the minimum of R3 660.

A trolley collector at a Joburg supermarket on a minimum of R3 003 a month would have to work for 17 months to earn the backpay of R51 528 that the Gauteng legislature’s committee chairs and leader of the opposition will collect.

The premier’s pay is not included in this list.

The increases are all within the legally permitted increase of 5 percent for provincial public office-bearers and are within the maximum salaries set by the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers.

Last month, the increases for judges, magistrates and traditional leaders were announced. These increases were also backdated to April last year.

Magistrates’ pay goes from R788 155 to R835 444 a year, judges' from R1.692m to R1.766m and kings' pay from R1.079m to R1.126m.

louise.flanagan@inl.co.za

The Star