Joburg municipal officials paid millions while citizens suffer

Despite the state of service delivery in Johannesburg, the city’s municipal entity chief executives are set to be remunerated handsomely over the next few years, with the highest salary package at just under R5 million.

This is according to information highlighted by data journalism outlet The Outlier, in their deep-dive of City of Johannesburg’s Medium-Term Budget for the 2025/26 to 2027/28 financial years. 

According to the document, the City Power CEO is set to earn the most with an annual remuneration package of R4.8 million, which includes a R4.5 million salary, R163,373 in allowances and R129,996 in contributions.

This is a significant increase from Joburg’s medium-term budget published in 2024, when the CEO was set to earn a total package of R3.1 million, including a bonus of R58,963.

City Power’s head offices were recently raided by the Hawks as part of an investigation into alleged fraud and corruption worth R500 million.

According to a report by News24, the municipal utility’s CEO, Tshifularo Mashava, is the subject of the Hawks’ procurement corruption investigation.

The CEO of Pikitup, the utility responsible for the city’s refuse removal, comes in second with a salary of R4.3 million, a roughly R800,000 increase from the year prior.

This comprises a R3.7 million salary, just over R65,000 in contributions, R37,873 in allowances, and a bonus of R535,842, the most out of any CEO.

It’s worth noting that the city has only budgeted for four of its municipal entities’ CEOs to receive performance bonuses.

Johannesburg Water is one of these entities. Thanks to the hefty R218,000 bonus, the CEO’s total salary is R3.6 million.

However, the total remuneration package decreased by roughly R90,000, although the bonus increased by R19,000.

Despite the CEO earning top dollar, Johannesburg has experienced water woes for several years due to crumbling infrastructure and resource mismanagement.

This follows decades of neglecting this infrastructure, with even Sandton, the wealthiest square mile in Africa, recently experiencing a week-long water outage.

Bonus for roads agency CEO

The Johannesburg Roads Agency is another utility that rewards its CEO with a bonus, contributing R191,000 to the R3.5 million salary.

The entity’s mandate is to plan, design, construct, and maintain the city’s roads and infrastructure. This includes fixing potholes and maintaining traffic lights.

In February, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse’s CEO, Wayne Duvenage, reported that roughly half of the city’s 1,350 traffic lights were malfunctioning.

Similarly, repairs to Lillian Ngoyi Street in the city’s CBD, which was severely damaged in a gas explosion over two years ago, are only 77% complete, according to the JRA.

The Johannesburg Property Company CEO follows with a remuneration package of R3.4 million, a slight increase from the year prior. However, does not receive a bonus.

The last of the four entities to offer its CEO a bonus is Joburg Theatres, which pays its CEO a R3.2 million salary package and a bonus of R397,500.

According to Joburg’s previous medium-term budget, this is a significant decrease from the R4 million salary package they received the year before.

Joburg Theatres is mandated to provide “quality, accessible, and innovative live entertainment and theatrical experiences.” It owns the Joburg Theatre, Soweto Theatre, and the Roodepoort Theatre.

The remaining municipal companies remunerate their CEOs with packages of R3 million and below.

These include Johannesburg Development Agency, Metropolitan Trading Company, Joburg Market, Johannesburg Parks and Zoo, Metrobus, Joburg Tourism Company, and the Johannesburg Social Housing Company.

Of all 13 municipal entities, the Joburg Tourism company CEO earns the lowest salary package at R1.6 million.