September 16, 06:50IOL

Overview of South African Government Expenditure on Public Sector Salaries in 2024/25

According to the National Treasury Budget Review for 2024, consolidated compensation expenses amounted to 754.2 billion rand during the financial year. This sum represents almost a third of the 2.37 trillion rand that the government plans to spend in 2024/25.

Under the budget, South Africa allocated over 750 billion rand for public sector employee payments in 2024/25. The salary range in the civil service varies from less than 150,000 rand per year for the lowest positions to over 2.3 million rand at the top.

The Treasury noted that compensation costs are one of the fastest-growing expenditure items, with an anticipated annual growth of an average of 4.5% within the three-year spending plan.

A significant portion of these funds is directed towards workers providing services through schools, hospitals, and the criminal justice system. In 2024/25, basic education accounted for approximately 241.9 billion rand, followed by hospitals at 174.6 billion rand, and police services at 100.1 billion rand; these three sectors together covered more than two-thirds of the compensation budget.

Public Sector Employee Income

Salaries in the public service vary significantly depending on pay level, profession, and work experience. PayScale, which collects employee salary data, indicates that the average base salary in the South African public sector (excluding benefits) is approximately 309,000 rand per year, equivalent to 25,750 rand per month.

Pay differences depend on the profession: PayScale reports an average annual base salary of about 273,000 rand for teachers, 261,000 rand for registered nurses, and 202,000 rand for police or patrol officers.

According to data published by MoneyToday, the standard civil service salary scale ranges from approximately 148,700 rand per year at the first level to over 2.3 million rand at the sixteenth level. This corresponds to approximately 12,400 rand per month at the lower end and 194,000 rand per month at the upper end, before taxes and other deductions.

It is important to note that these figures cannot be directly compared to net income, as the amounts stated are gross salaries. Nevertheless, they provide an indication when compared to the average net income of South African workers, which is 21,642 rand per month.

Many teachers, nurses, doctors, and other specialists receive payment according to profession-specific structures rather than standard levels. The Treasury defines such structures as applicable to certain professions in the civil service, including doctors, nurses, and teachers.

More Than Just Salary

The total amount the government spends per employee includes not only the amount shown on the payslip. The Guide to Public Service of the Department of Public Service and Administration separately provides for medical care, housing allowances, danger allowances, and other benefits as part of public sector employee remuneration.

Members of the Public Service Pension Fund contribute 7.5% of their pension salary to the retirement fund. The government, acting as the employer, contributes 13% for most members and 16% for members of the police, defense forces, correctional services, and intelligence services.

This means that an employee receiving a pension salary of 30,000 rand per month, for example, would contribute 2,250 rand to the fund, while the employer's contribution would be an additional approximately 3,900 rand.

Pension Savings

These benefits have not protected public servants from the financial difficulties faced by South African households. Over half a million participants in the Public Service Pension Fund withdrew approximately 15 billion rand from their pension savings within seven months after the implementation of the 'two pots' system in September 2024.

These 564,547 requests were submitted between September 2024 and March 2025 from a fund with about 1.27 million active participants. This data also presents a completely different picture regarding the 754.2 billion rand in government compensation expenditure in South Africa: how much the government spends on labor versus how financially secure these employees are does not always align.

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noticiasaominuto.comSeptember 7, 17:59

Angolan public servants may purchase goods in installments after pension restructuring

Angolan public servants will have the possibility of paying for goods in installments, a change resulting from the restructuring of the current Pension Fund. This initiative aims to provide the Public Administration with advantages already present in the private sector, as detailed by António Estote, a member of the technical group of RINAR (Roadmap for the Implementation of the New Remuneration Architecture).

The Ministry of Public Administration, Labor and Social Security organized an informative session in Luanda about the program, which has been underway since 2023, with the aim of standardizing organization, careers, and salaries in the Angolan public service.

Among the innovations foreseen in the roadmap is the introduction of non-monetary benefits for public servants. These benefits will allow workers to 'pay for goods in installments or request an advance in emergency situations,' in addition to enabling the financing of health insurance, professional training, or obtaining bonuses on housing credit.

The restructuring of the Pension Fund is part of the actions outlined in the roadmap. The official emphasized that this change does not constitute a reform, but rather 'the path that will be followed to solve problems progressively.'

One of the results presented by RINAR is the simplification and standardization of functions and careers, which were previously spread across 23 presidential decrees, now being consolidated into a 'single decree for all.'

The roadmap also aims to establish a salary table for the Public Service with 'a rule applicable to everyone.' Additionally, it allows each sector to define its own remuneration policy based on market, productivity, and company profitability.

António Estote stated that this will facilitate the elimination of arbitrary decisions and raise the level of transparency in payments. The ultimate goal is to move towards implementing a single salary table.

In contrast to countries such as Portugal, Brazil, and Cape Verde, which have a unified salary table, António Estote explained that 'RINAR defines the policies and proposes scenarios.'

The execution of these changes depends on the ministerial departments, following the financial programming. Initiatives without budgetary impact are forwarded to the Executive's programming for approval. The official stressed that the single salary table can only be implemented immediately if it does not generate a budgetary impact; otherwise, its implementation is conditional on the Executive's programming, specifically the General State Budget (OGE), since they are public expenses that require approval from the National Assembly.

iol.co.zaSeptember 3, 10:23

South African Teacher Salaries in 2026: Highest Pay Scales Revealed

There is a significant disparity in pay among education workers in South Africa: while entry-level teachers earn around R169,700 per year, school principals can earn over R1.3 million annually.

Principals of public schools in South Africa are among the highest-paid educators in the country, and their salaries increase substantially as teachers advance to leadership and senior positions.

Earlier this year, the Minister of Basic Education, Siphiwe Govender, released the latest salary scales for education workers, which came into effect on April 1, 2026. Govender stated: 'The applicable salary increases effective from April 1, 2026, for relevant employee categories are detailed in the salary tables in Appendix 1 and Appendix 2.'

The updated scales demonstrate how much teachers and school leaders can earn at different levels, with those at the top of the educational hierarchy earning significantly more than classroom teachers. The pay structure also utilizes Relative Educational Qualifications Value (REQV) levels, which reflects the teacher's level of qualification and training and helps determine their position in the salary structure.

How Much Do Teachers Earn in South Africa

The latest salary scales show a substantial difference between the income of teachers at the start of their careers and what they can earn after moving into senior roles. At the lowest level, an entry-level specialist earns R169,707 per year, which is approximately R14,142 per month before tax.

At the opposite end of the scale, a P5 principal can earn up to R1.33 million per year, equivalent to approximately R110,569 per month before tax. However, a principal's actual salary depends on the applicable position level and mark. For example, the published range for P5 is from R892,764 to R1,326,822.

Between these extremes are experienced and specialized teachers, whose incomes depend on their qualification level, position held, and salary mark. For instance, teachers in the REQV 14–17 category can earn between R366,051 and R794,151 per year (corresponding to R30,970 and R66,179).

A senior teacher with REQV 13 can earn from R431,640 to R600,504 per year (approximately R35,970 to R50,042), and a Master Teacher with REQV 14–17 can earn from R505,302 to R794,151 (from R42,108 to R66,180).

Those who move into school management can earn even more. Department heads can earn up to R1,094,826 per year, and deputy principals up to R1,183,578. At the highest level, a P5 principal can earn from R892,764 to R1,326,822 per year.