If part of my job included catching quite a few zzz’s in the public eye, then I wouldn’t mind getting paid fat stacks of cash for being a member of parliament.

To take the role as an MP, you are getting paid to represent the public in parliament – by the taxpayers – yet between their snoozing and squabbles, it’s difficult to feel they deserve anything.

Our good friends over at Africa Check looked at how much South Africa’s MPs earn, what it is they actually do, and then tried to identify the hardest-working MPs from the available data.

Hahahahaha, lags.

Let’s start off with their annual salary:

Business Tech names each person holding each role, and I would go through them but they’ll probably be different next week. You can check that info for yourself HERE. One interesting point of information though:

Leaders of minority parties, such as Julius Malema and Bantu Holomisa from the UDM, earn R1,222,606 a year or R101,885 a month.

Casual.

Parliament did not respond to Africa Check’s query into additional benefits. You know, like using the government jet.

However, the People’s Assembly information website (from 2014) listed a number of “perks” that MPs were entitled to:

• 86 single economy-class air journey
• accommodation in parliamentary villages
• airport parking
• reimbursed allowances for travel costs between airport and home
• travel facilities for dependents, according to the policy for travel.
• parking in the parliamentary precinct
• a fully equipped office in the precinct
• an information and communications technology allowance

Since 2012, MPs have received annual increases of between 5 and 6%. Nice.

No word on the hardest working. Yet.

[source: businesstech]