Cosatu decries public office-bearers’ salary increases as excessive

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President Cyril Ramaphosa has approved salary increases of up to 4% for politicians, traditional leaders, and judges, drawing sharp criticism from trade union…

President Cyril Ramaphosa has approved part of the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers’ recommendation and decided to increase politicians, traditional leaders and judicial officers’ salaries by between 3.5% and 4%.

Trade union federation Cosatu has expressed its irritation at what it described as a generous increase for politicians.

Cosatu indicated it supported the 4% adjustment for magistrates given that they are a skilled profession and measures are needed to retain them and avoid a brain drain upon an already overwhelmed judicial system.

“We believe, however, that this hike for public representatives remains excessive and sends an ill-considered message to an increasingly frustrated public of a political elite that is dangerously out of touch with the lived realities of ordinary South Africans. No clearer indication of society’s anger and frustrations was confirmed with the recent local government election results,” Cosatu added.

The commission chaired by Land Court Judge President Zeenat Carelse had recommended pay hikes of 4% across all the country’s 20,609 public office-bearers in three three spheres of government, the judiciary and traditional leaders.

The commission’s recommendation would have seen the salary of public office-bearers become more than R14.2-billion.

“The commission considered submissions received during statutory consultation and acknowledges that salary adjustments are influenced by multiple factors beyond inflation. While the National Treasury projected 2026/27 inflation at 3.4%, data from Statistics SA indicate a lower annual average of 3.2%, with the latest rate recorded at 3.5% in January 2026,” the commission had indicated in its recommendation to Ramaphosa.

According to the commission, it was expected that inflation would increase from 3.2% in 2025 to 3.4% in 2026, driven by higher food prices (particularly meat due to supply disruptions linked to foot-and-mouth disease).

“Inflation is forecast to ease to…

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