President Cyril Ramaphosa has approved a 4.1% salary increase of public office bearers with effect from 1 April 2026.
The implementation follows his consideration of recommendations by the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers.
“Having considered the Commission’s recommendations and its impact on the fiscus, the President however decided to increase the salary of public office-bearers by 4.1% and 3.8% in different categories.
The increase of 4.1% applies to judges, magistrates, traditional leaders and members of independent constitutional institutions.
The increase of 3.8% applies to Members of the National Executive, Members of Parliament, members of provincial executive councils and members of provincial legislatures,” said the presidency spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya.
Meanwhile, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has expressed dismay following the determination by the president.
The union said whilst it is irritated by the president’s generous increase for politicians and judges, it supports the adjustment for Magistrates arguing that they’re a skilled profession.
In addition, COSATU said it is also disappointed that government has only slightly reduced the salary increase for politicians from 4.1% to 3.8%.
“We believe that this hike for the already very generous packages for public representatives sends an ill-considered message to an increasingly frustrated society of a political elite that is dangerously out of touch with the lived realities of ordinary South Africans.
It is beyond shameful that in the financial year when Cabinet said the state did not have money to fulfil its constitutional mandates and thus a 2% VAT hike was unavoidable, that government has endorsed this tone-deaf proposal,” explained the union’s Parliamentary Coordinator, Matthew Parks.
Parks highlighted that is disheartened that the increase comes two months after the Minister for Finance, Enoch Godongwana, warned that further tax hikes may be a necessity in 2026, that government has found an additional R536 million to fund the salaries of public office bearers.
Some political parties in parliament and other trade federations, have also criticized the increases
