President Cyril Ramaphosa has approved salary increases for public office-bearers, with adjustments ranging between 3.5% and 4%, effective from April 2027.
Ministers and deputy ministers, Members of Parliament (MPs), permanent delegates to the National Council of Provinces, premiers, Members of Executive Councils (MECs) and Members of Provincial Legislatures (MPLs) will receive a 3.5% increase.
Judges, magistrates, traditional leaders and members of the National and Provincial Houses of Traditional and Khoi-San Leaders will receive a 4% increase.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the annual remuneration review is guided by constitutional provisions and the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act.
“The Constitution and the Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act mandates the commission to make annual recommendations relating to the salaries and upper limits of the salaries, allowances and benefits of public office-bearers,” Magwenya said.
Meanwhile, South Africa's unemployment rate has increased by 0.1 percentage points to 33.7% in the third quarter of 2026.
According to Statistics South Africa's Quarterly Labour Force Survey, the number of employed people increased by 101,000 to 16.8 million between July and September.
However, the number of unemployed people also increased by 97,000, bringing the total to 8.6 million.
Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke said the biggest employment gains were recorded in the finance, manufacturing and mining industries, followed by community and social services.
However, private households recorded the largest job losses, shedding 68,000 positions. Agriculture lost 34,000 jobs, while construction recorded a decline of 8,000.
Maluleke said the number of unemployed young people decreased by 23,000 to five million.
However, youth employment also declined, with 5,000 fewer young people employed, bringing the total to 5.5 million.
The survey further showed that graduates continued to record the lowest unemployment rate at 11.9%, while those with other tertiary qualifications recorded an unemployment rate of 24.68%.
Meanwhile, the number of people outside the labour force for other reasons decreased by 150,000 to 12.4 million.
Overall, the number of people outside the labour force declined by 82,000 to 17 million.