Number of public servants earning R1 million annually ‘unsustainable’
An economist has warned that the number of public servants earning over R1 million annually is unsustainable.
In April, Public Service and Administration Minister Noxolo Kiviet revealed that more than 37,000 civil servants in the national and provincial governments more than R1 million a year.
During the 2023/2024 financial year, the state spent R45.3 billion on salaries.
Chief Economist at Econometrix Azar Jammine said a third of total government spending is going towards the payment of salaries.
“One has to look at the degree of service delivery within the public service, the lack thereof, and relate that to the productivity of these public servants, and you realise that people are earning way above the amount that they are actually contributing to the economy.”
Jammine said the government should use the money to create more jobs and fix the country’s ailing infrastructure.
“There are two ways that the money could be better spent. The first is for the public sector to employ people on the basis of competence, experience and qualification rather than on the basis of their loyalty to a particular political party. Secondly, the money could be diverted towards infrastructural investment spending.”
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