A South African national Cabinet minister currently receives a total remuneration package of R2,792,155 a year under the latest official determination for the 2025/2026 remuneration cycle. That works out to about R232,680 a month when divided across 12 months. Deputy ministers receive R2,299,398 a year, while the Deputy President receives R3,284,911. These packages were increased by 3.8% from the previous determination.
Unlike most of the occupations in this employment guide series, ministers do not negotiate individual market salaries. Their remuneration is determined within a statutory public-office framework after recommendations from the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers.
Key takeaways
- A national Minister earns R2,792,155 a year under the latest gazetted determination.
- This equals approximately R232,680 a month when annualised over 12 months.
- A Deputy Minister earns R2,299,398 a year, or about R191,617 a month.
- The Deputy President receives R3,284,911 a year, equivalent to approximately R273,743 a month.
- Ministerial remuneration increased by 3.8% from the previous minister package of R2,689,937.
- The quoted figure is a total remuneration package, not simply cash salary deposited into a bank account.
What is the South African minister salary?
The current official total remuneration package for a national Cabinet minister is:
R2,792,155 per year
That works out to approximately:
R232,680 per month
or about:
R53,695 per week
These monthly and weekly figures are simple annualised equivalents. The official determination itself publishes the annual remuneration package.
The current amount appears in Government Gazette No. 53965, published on 16 January 2026. The schedule states that remuneration was adjusted by 3.8% with effect from 1 April 2025 for the 2025/2026 remuneration cycle.
South African minister salary comparison
The current national executive remuneration structure is:
| Position | Annual remuneration | Approx. monthly equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Deputy President | R3,284,911 | R273,743 |
| Minister | R2,792,155 | R232,680 |
| Deputy Minister | R2,299,398 | R191,617 |
The annual figures are the official gazetted packages. Monthly amounts are annual figures divided by 12.
This means a minister receives approximately R492,757 more per year than a deputy minister, while the Deputy President’s package is approximately R492,756 higher than a minister’s.
How is a minister’s salary package structured?
The R2.79 million ministerial figure is not simply a cash salary.
The official determination says the total remuneration package contains several components.
Basic salary component
The basic salary component equals 60% of the total package and constitutes the pensionable salary.
For a minister earning R2,792,155, that works out to approximately:
R1,675,293 a year
or around:
R139,608 a month
The determination also states that an amount of R120,000 per year falling under the relevant Income Tax Act provision is included within this basic salary component.
Employer pension contribution
The employer pension benefit contribution equals 22.5% of the pensionable salary.
Using the current ministerial package, that represents approximately R376,941 a year.
Flexible portion
The balance of the remuneration package forms a flexible portion.
Based on the components specified in the determination, this is approximately R739,921 a year, although the precise tax and benefit treatment should not be interpreted simply as additional take-home cash.
Did South African ministers get a salary increase?
Yes.
The latest determination increased ministerial remuneration by 3.8%.
Before the adjustment, the remuneration review published by the Independent Commission listed the ministerial package at R2,689,937 a year.
The new salary of R2,792,155 therefore represents an increase of approximately R102,218 a year, or roughly R8,518 a month when annualised.
The Independent Commission had recommended a 4.1% increase for public office-bearers for the 2025/2026 cycle. The final determination for members of the national executive applied a 3.8% adjustment.
Who decides how much South African ministers earn?
Ministerial salaries are governed through legislation rather than ordinary public-service salary negotiations.
The Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act 20 of 1998 establishes the framework for determining salaries and allowances for the Deputy President, ministers, deputy ministers, members of Parliament, provincial executives and other defined office-bearers.
The Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers makes annual recommendations after considering factors that include affordability, inflation, wage settlements, existing remuneration levels and the responsibilities attached to public office.
The President then makes the applicable remuneration determination in accordance with the legal framework.
Is a minister’s salary the same as an ordinary government employee’s salary?
No.
Cabinet ministers are public office-bearers, not ordinary employees paid according to standard public-service salary levels.
Their remuneration is governed by the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act and the related determination process.
This is different from public servants such as administrative employees, nurses, teachers, police officers and many government professionals, whose salaries generally fall under public-service bargaining arrangements and occupational salary structures.
Do all South African ministers earn the same salary?
At national Cabinet level, the official determination sets a single remuneration package for the position of Minister.
The latest schedule therefore lists the Minister position at R2,792,155 a year rather than publishing different salaries for different portfolios.
A Minister of Finance, for example, does not receive a different gazetted ministerial salary simply because of the portfolio compared with another national Cabinet minister.
What does a Deputy Minister earn in South Africa?
The current remuneration package for a Deputy Minister is:
R2,299,398 a year
That is approximately:
R191,617 per month
when divided across 12 months.
This is about R492,757 less per year than the package attached to a full Cabinet minister.
What does the Deputy President earn?
The Deputy President’s current total remuneration package is:
R3,284,911 a year
or approximately:
R273,743 a month
when annualised.
The Deputy President therefore receives about R492,756 more a year than a Cabinet minister under the current structure.
Do ministers receive benefits in addition to salary?
Members of the executive have access to certain official facilities and tools of trade governed separately from the basic remuneration figures.
The Government’s Guide for Members of the Executive, often called the Ministerial Handbook, covers matters such as official travel, vehicles, accommodation and support arrangements.
Government has previously emphasised that some of these items are tools provided for ministers to perform official duties rather than personal assets belonging to ministers.
For example, the executive guide provides a framework for official vehicles, official travel and accommodation. Government has also published cost-containment measures relating to executive vehicles, travel and other expenses.
These should therefore not simply be added to the R2.79 million remuneration package and described as additional salary.
Do ministers get official cars?
Official vehicles can be provided as tools of trade under the rules governing members of the executive.
Government revised the executive rules in 2019 to place a R700,000 inclusive limit on official vehicle procurement at that time, including VAT, maintenance plans and security extras.
National Treasury has subsequently continued to issue instructions relating to revised ministerial vehicle price thresholds, including an instruction during the 2025/2026 financial year.
Because vehicle thresholds can change separately from salaries, they should be checked against the latest Treasury instruction rather than assumed from older versions of the Ministerial Handbook.
Do ministers receive accommodation?
The executive framework includes arrangements for official accommodation because national executive duties are conducted principally between Pretoria and Cape Town.
Government has stated that ministers and deputy ministers using state-provided accommodation are subject to the applicable arrangements under the executive guide.
Official accommodation should again be distinguished from salary. It is an arrangement associated with performing the office rather than an amount included as monthly cash earnings.
Minister salary versus deputy minister salary
The difference between the two positions is straightforward under the current determination:
Minister: R2,792,155 per year
Deputy Minister: R2,299,398 per year
That gives a difference of:
R492,757 per year
or about:
R41,063 per month
when annualised.
How much did ministers earn previously?
The Independent Commission’s remuneration review records the previous ministerial salary at R2,689,937 a year.
The current package is R2,792,155, following the 3.8% adjustment.
That gives the following comparison:
| Period | Minister remuneration |
|---|---|
| Previous package | R2,689,937 |
| Current package | R2,792,155 |
| Increase | R102,218 |
| Increase percentage | 3.8% |
The figures refer to total annual remuneration packages rather than take-home pay.
How much tax does a South African minister pay?
The official remuneration determination publishes the gross remuneration package, not an individual minister’s final after-tax income.
Actual PAYE depends on the applicable tax rules and the way remuneration components are structured.
The Gazette specifically notes that 60% of the package constitutes pensionable basic salary, that an employer pension contribution forms part of the package, and that the remainder is flexible remuneration.
It is therefore misleading to take R2,792,155, divide it by 12 and describe the resulting R232,680 as the minister’s monthly take-home salary. It is the monthly equivalent of the total package before tax and benefit structuring.
What employers and employees should know
A ministerial salary is fundamentally different from a normal employment-market salary.
The amount is attached to a constitutional public office and determined through legislation and the public-office remuneration process. It therefore should not be used as a direct salary benchmark for ordinary senior government employees or private-sector executives.
For jobseekers researching government salaries, it is particularly important to distinguish between:
- Cabinet ministers;
- deputy ministers;
- members of Parliament;
- political office-bearers;
- senior public servants; and
- ordinary public-service employees.
They operate under different remuneration systems.
FAQ: South African minister salary
How much does a South African minister earn?
The latest official determination sets the total annual remuneration package for a national Cabinet minister at R2,792,155 a year.
How much does a South African minister earn per month?
The annual package equals approximately R232,680 a month when divided by 12. This is a monthly equivalent of the total remuneration package, not necessarily the amount received as after-tax cash salary.
How much does a deputy minister earn?
A South African Deputy Minister currently receives a total remuneration package of R2,299,398 a year, or approximately R191,617 a month when annualised.
How much does the Deputy President earn?
The current Deputy President remuneration package is R3,284,911 a year, or approximately R273,743 a month when annualised.
Did ministers receive a salary increase in 2026?
The latest determination, published in January 2026 for the 2025/2026 remuneration cycle, applies a 3.8% increase with effect from 1 April 2025.
What was the previous South African minister salary?
The previous package recorded by the Independent Commission was approximately R2,689,937 a year.
Who decides ministers’ salaries in South Africa?
The Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers makes recommendations, while remuneration is ultimately determined within the statutory framework established for public office-bearers.
Do all Cabinet ministers earn the same salary?
The current national executive determination lists one remuneration package for the position of Minister, at R2,792,155 a year. It does not set different packages according to ministerial portfolio.
Do ministers get cars and accommodation as well?
Members of the executive may receive official facilities and tools of trade under the Guide for Members of the Executive, including arrangements concerning vehicles, official travel and accommodation. These should not simply be treated as additional cash salary.
Sources
- South African Government Gazette: Determination of salaries and allowances of the Deputy President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers for 2025/2026 https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202601/53965gon7004.pdf
- South African Government: 2025/2026 ministerial remuneration determination page https://www.gov.za/documents/notices/remuneration-public-office-bearers-act-determination-and-allowances-deputy
- Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers: 2025/2026 determination https://www.remcommission.gov.za/library/determinations/2026/presidents-determination-salaries-members-executive-parliament
- Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office-Bearers: 2025/2026 remuneration recommendations https://www.remcommission.gov.za/library/recommendations
- Independent Commission remuneration review showing previous executive salary structurehttps://www.remcommission.gov.za/sites/default/files/2024-10/The%20Commission%27s%20Consolidated%20Remuneration%20Review%20Report%20-%20GG%20no.%2051405.pdf
- Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act 20 of 1998 https://www.gov.za/documents/remuneration-public-office-bearers-act-0
- Independent Commission explanatory memorandum for 2025/2026 remuneration recommendations https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202512/53875gen3711.pdf
- South African Government: Guide for Members of the Executive https://www.gov.za/documents/other/guide-members-executive-ministerial-handbook-05-dec-2019
- South African Government: Executive benefits and tools-of-trade clarification https://www.gov.za/news/cabinet-statements/statement-cabinet-meeting-15-march-2023-16-mar-2023
- National Treasury: Treasury Instructions, including ministerial vehicle thresholds https://www.treasury.gov.za/legislation/pfma/TreasuryInstruction/Archives.aspx
