Ten years ago, there were 10,000 government employees in South Africa earning more than R1-million. In 2023, it’s 55,000.

South Africa’s public servants are some of the best-paid in the world. With a wage bill of R724-billion, the country spends more on salaries in relation to its gross domestic product than Australia, China, Spain and the UK. An annual salary of R1-million (R83,300 a month) is more than 3 times the average South African wage of R312,000 (R26,000 a month).

The top earners in the public sector are senior managers, heads of departments or highly skilled experts, such as doctors. Salaries for public servants have increased by an average of 1.5% a year since 2014, which is above inflation. Nearly half of the government’s 1.3-million-strong workforce earns between R350,000 and R600,000 a year. 10 years ago, 80% of government employees earned less than R350,000 annually.