Remember how you worked really hard and everyone was super impressed with your efforts – then you were handed a tiny raise and you were stoked?

It doesn’t work like that in South African politics, because despite the grumbles from within his own party Jacob Zuma just received a monster pay hike that we will all be paying for.

JZ will now be taking home R7 876 per day, the ANC majority in the National Assembly voting to further line his pockets. Below from TimesLive:

It represents an increase of 4.5% on his current salary.

What is more‚ Zuma’s future annual salary of R2‚874‚821 will be backdated to April 1 last year despite the strongly worded opposition of the DA‚ EFF‚ Cope and the ACDP.

The DA‚ Cope and ACDP argued that Zuma receive no increase‚ and the EFF wanted his whole salary to be suspended until the Constitutional Court hands down judgment regarding the improvements to the president’s private home at Nkandla‚ which the taxpayer paid for – meaning that until the judgment‚ Zuma would earn nothing.

But the ANC‚ IFP‚ NFP‚ UDM and Agang argued that Zuma’s proposed increase should be granted‚ pointing out that MPs received the same 4.5% increase on Wednesday‚ similarly backdated to April 1 last year.

Come now, if we’re being honest that pay hike is nothing compared to those back door payments he’s receiving from the Guptas. Then there’s the Russians and that ridiculous nuclear deal, although at least with both of those the taxpayer doesn’t foot the bill.

The tally of votes in the National Assembly ended with 172 approving the increase, 81 opposed and two MPs abstaining.

[source:timeslive]