The transport job in South Africa with a salary of R4.5 million per year

Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, revealed that senior management salaries at the SA National Roads Agency (SANRAL) can earn R4.5 million a year.

She shared this information in response to a Parliamentary question from National Assembly member George Michalakis.

Michalakis asked Creecy for details about the number of professional engineers, engineering technologists, and engineering technicians at SANRAL.

He further requested the number of the specified professionals registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa in the relevant professional category.

He also asked for the minimum and maximum annual remuneration packages payable to engineering categories at the state-owned company.

She provided a breakdown of the SA National Roads Agency’s engineering employee count.

• 101 Professional Engineers
• 19 Engineering Technologists
• 3 Engineering Technicians
• 89 Candidate engineers

She said that 123 of the professionals are registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa.

She also provided a summary of the salary scales for engineers who work at the SA National Roads Agency.

Michalakis also requested the names of the professionals registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa. However, Creecy did not provide this.

“In terms of the Protection of Personal Information Act, Act 13 of 2013, such personal information cannot be shared without the individual’s consent,” she said.

Engineering salaries at SANRAL

The Minister of Transport provided a breakdown of the salaries of engineering staff at the SA National Roads Agency.

Salaries range from R329,000 to R1.004 million per year for the most junior candidate engineers and skilled technical workers.

Professional engineers and mid-managers at SANRAL earn between R701,000 and R2.137 million per annum.

Engineering managers, provincial heads, and senior management earn between R1.489 million and R4.506 million per year.

The table below shows the engineering salary scale at the SA National Roads Agency in 2026.

Pay Grade	Minimum	Median	Maximum
Candidate Project Engineers
C1	R329,400	R439,200	R549,000
Skilled technical and academically qualified workers, junior management, supervisors, foremen, superintendents
C2	R382,800	R510,400	R638,000
C3	R445,500	R594,000	R742,500
C4	R517,700	R690,300	R862,900
C5	R602,600	R803,500	R1,004,400
Junior Project Engineers / Project Managers / Specialist Engineers / Sectional Heads
D10	R701,000	R934,700	R1,168,400
D2	R815,600	R1,087,500	R1,356,400
D3	R947,900	R1,263,900	R1,579,900
D4	R1,102,700	R1,470,200	R1,837,800
D5	R1,282,000	R1,709,300	R2,136,600
Engineering Managers / Provincial Heads
E1	R1,488,600	R1,984,800	R2,481,000
E2	R1,727,900	R2,303,800	R2,879,800
Senior Management
E3	R2,006,000	R2,674,700	R3,343,400
E4	R2,329,100	R3,105,400	R3,881,800
E5	R2,703,300	R3,604,400	R4,505,500