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Cape Town - If South Africa's bloated executive opted to show restraint in spending and slashed their monthly income by half, nearly 300 RDP houses could be built every year.
President Jacob Zuma's executive, including the 35 cabinet ministers, the deputy president and himself as well as the extended executive of 37 deputy ministers earn R89.6m a year after tax. If just R44.5m a year was spent on them after tax, at an estimated cost of R150 000 per RDP house, some 296 RDP houses could be built every year, or nearly one house a day. (Updated: the number of houses has been incorrectly calculated. It has now been rectified. Apologies for any confusion caused - Donwald)
The suggestion has been made by Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema that Zuma's cabinet should use state hospitals and send their children to state, rather than private schools to show the nation they could tighten their collective belts.
Yet halving their income could put 1.8 million Big Macs - at R23.50 each - on the table of the poor a year instead. That is 4 931 Big Macs a day.
Amcu, the majority union at platinum mines, wants a monthly wage of R12 500 a month. A miner's after tax income would be R11.310 a month according to the Old Mutual tax calculator, assuming that there were no contributions to medical aid and retirement.
Although Amcu still hasn't won the battle for wage hikes, if its demands were met, the miners would be earning just short of R380 a day. That is just 16 Big Macs a day.
This compares to the president's daily after tax income of R4 600 a day - he earns R2.62m a year and will pay R974 000 in tax.
That converts in 195 Big Macs the president could buy each day, or 12 times the number a platinum miner will be able to buy - if he gets that salary he is still demanding in the current strike.
Cyril Ramaphosa, who until his election as deputy president was local owner of McDonald's which serves Big Macs and was also a director of Lonmin - which owns the troubled platinum mine at Marikana - earns just short of R4 200 a day after tax.
He could buy 178 Big Macs a day - about 11 times more than the average Lonmin miner once he gets his pay hike.
Ramaphosa will earn about R125 000 a month in his new post after paying R71 000 in tax.
Ordinary ministers will be earning R2.1m a year. That will leave them with a healthy R112 000 a month after a tax payment of nearly R63 000.
That is about R3 700 a day or 158 Big Macs a day.
Deputy ministers earn roughly R1.7m a year. They pay nearly R50 000 in tax on a monthly before tax income of R141 000, leaving them with R92 000 a month. This is R3 000 a day or 130 Big Macs a day.
Collectively the entire executive - including the president, the deputy president, 35 cabinet ministers and 37 deputies - earns about R240 000 a day. That is about 10 200 Big Macs a day. Half of that would still be a massive feast.
President Jacob Zuma's executive, including the 35 cabinet ministers, the deputy president and himself as well as the extended executive of 37 deputy ministers earn R89.6m a year after tax. If just R44.5m a year was spent on them after tax, at an estimated cost of R150 000 per RDP house, some 296 RDP houses could be built every year, or nearly one house a day. (Updated: the number of houses has been incorrectly calculated. It has now been rectified. Apologies for any confusion caused - Donwald)
The suggestion has been made by Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema that Zuma's cabinet should use state hospitals and send their children to state, rather than private schools to show the nation they could tighten their collective belts.
Yet halving their income could put 1.8 million Big Macs - at R23.50 each - on the table of the poor a year instead. That is 4 931 Big Macs a day.
Amcu, the majority union at platinum mines, wants a monthly wage of R12 500 a month. A miner's after tax income would be R11.310 a month according to the Old Mutual tax calculator, assuming that there were no contributions to medical aid and retirement.
Although Amcu still hasn't won the battle for wage hikes, if its demands were met, the miners would be earning just short of R380 a day. That is just 16 Big Macs a day.
This compares to the president's daily after tax income of R4 600 a day - he earns R2.62m a year and will pay R974 000 in tax.
That converts in 195 Big Macs the president could buy each day, or 12 times the number a platinum miner will be able to buy - if he gets that salary he is still demanding in the current strike.
Cyril Ramaphosa, who until his election as deputy president was local owner of McDonald's which serves Big Macs and was also a director of Lonmin - which owns the troubled platinum mine at Marikana - earns just short of R4 200 a day after tax.
He could buy 178 Big Macs a day - about 11 times more than the average Lonmin miner once he gets his pay hike.
Ramaphosa will earn about R125 000 a month in his new post after paying R71 000 in tax.
Ordinary ministers will be earning R2.1m a year. That will leave them with a healthy R112 000 a month after a tax payment of nearly R63 000.
That is about R3 700 a day or 158 Big Macs a day.
Deputy ministers earn roughly R1.7m a year. They pay nearly R50 000 in tax on a monthly before tax income of R141 000, leaving them with R92 000 a month. This is R3 000 a day or 130 Big Macs a day.
Collectively the entire executive - including the president, the deputy president, 35 cabinet ministers and 37 deputies - earns about R240 000 a day. That is about 10 200 Big Macs a day. Half of that would still be a massive feast.
