How much money South Africa’s judges, magistrates and justices will be paid this year
The office of the presidency has gazetted the approved increases for judges, magistrates, justices and the public protector.
The salary adjustments are effective from 1 April 2022, as with most salary hikes approved this year.
According to the presidency, the total salaries for judges comprise a basic pay component of 72.24% and a non-cash component of 27.76%, which includes allowances and medical aid contributions.
The total pay does not include pension benefits.
A similar structure is present for magistrates, where the basic pay is 70% of the total.
The pay increases for 2022/23 put pay levels for judges around the same levels as ministers and deputy ministers, with magistrates more in line with MPs and whips in parliament.
Notably, the salary levels for these high-ranking positions are on par with many lawyers’ salaries in the private sector, which can range from R300,000 for support staff to over R5 million for senior partners.
The salary hikes align with the 3% approved by the president earlier this year for all public servants.
While the increases for top-level officials are muted and in line with what was budgeted for in the February budget from the National Treasury, it still forms part of the government’s massive wage bill, which accounts for over a third of South Africa’s government spending.
Following strikes and protest action earlier this year, other public servants – on the lower-earning end of the salary scales – were granted a 7.5% increase, pushing government spending beyond the limits of the budget.
With government spending ballooning, and tax collections coming in lower than projected, the country is now facing a massive budget deficit for this financial year.
Finance minister Enoch Godongwana is expected to lay out the details of the problem in his mid-term budget policy statement on 1 November.
The new salaries for judges, magistrates and justices can be seen below.
Judges and Justices
| Role | Pay level | Salary |
| Chief Justice | 1 | R3 072 480 |
| Deputy Chief Justice | 1 | R2 765 159 |
| President: Supreme Court of Appeal | 1 | R2 765 159 |
| Deputy President: Supreme Court of Appeal | 1 | R2 611 589 |
| Judge: Constitutional Court | 2 | R2 458 019 |
| Judge: Supreme Court of Appeal | 2 | R2 458 019 |
| Judge President: High/Labour Court | 3 | R2 304 449 |
| Deputy Judge President: High/Labour Court | 4 | R2 150 700 |
| Judge: High/Labour Court | 5 | R1 997 130 |
Magistrates
| Role | Pay level | Salary |
| Special Grade Chief Magistrate | 1 | R1 567 105 |
| Regional Court President | 1 | R1 567 105 |
| Regional Magistrate | 1 | R1 406 110 |
| Chief Magistrate | 1 | R1 406 110 |
| Senior Magistrate | 1 | R1 165 530 |
| Magistrate | 1 | R1 077 210 |
Human Rights Commission
| Role | Full/Part time | Salary |
| Chairperson | FT | R1 525 073 |
| Deputy Chairperson | FT | R1 294 305 |
| Commissioner | FT | R1 186 446 |
| Part-time Commissioner | PT | R4 708 per day |
Public Protector
| Role | Pay level | Salary |
| Public Protector | 1 | R2 458 019 |
| Deputy Public Protector | 1 | R1 924 542 |
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