Government9 November 2026

Your new councillor can earn up to R617,948 a year. What mayors get

Ordinary councillors can be paid R290,653 to R617,948 a year and full-time mayors R919,541 to R1,650,039, depending on the council's grade. The official 2026 limits, allowances and how grades work.

By Reported Team

Bar chart of the maximum yearly pay for full-time executive mayors and ordinary part-time councillors in Grade 1 to Grade 6 municipalities — Reported chart from CoGTA Government Notice 7159 of 2026

An ordinary councillor in South Africa's biggest councils can be paid up to R617,948 a year, about R51,496 a month, and a full-time executive mayor up to R1,650,039. Those are the legal ceilings set by the Minister of Cooperative Governance in Government Notice 7159, published on 20 February 2026 and backdated to 1 July 2025.

They apply to the councillors now taking their seats after the 2026 local elections. New councils must hold their first sitting within 14 days of results being declared, EWN reported.

What does an ordinary councillor earn?

Most ward and PR councillors are part-time. Their pay depends on the grade of their municipality, from Grade 1 (smallest) to Grade 6 (largest).

Municipal grade	Maximum per year	About per month
6	R617,948	R51,496
5	R388,656	R32,388
4	R332,380	R27,698
3	R320,101	R26,675
2	R299,738	R24,978
1	R290,653	R24,221

Source: Notice 7159 of 2026, item 8. Monthly figures are Reported's division of the yearly limit by 12.

This is a total package, not take-home pay, and it is the most a council may pay. Each council sets its own councillors' pay within the limit in its budget, BusinessTech reported.

What do mayors, speakers and MMCs earn?

Full-time office bearers get much more.

Grade	Executive mayor or mayor	Speaker or deputy mayor	Mayoral committee member (MMC), whip or subcouncil chair
6	R1,650,039	R1,332,597	R1,255,291
5	R1,230,245	R984,192	R922,683
4	R1,050,284	R840,233	R788,073
3	R1,011,529	R809,224	R758,650
2	R947,146	R757,718	R717,123
1	R919,541	R742,644	R696,226

Source: Notice 7159 of 2026, item 5.

A full-time Grade 6 mayor's ceiling works out to about R137,503 a month. The limits went up 6.7% on the previous year across all full-time positions, BusinessTech reported, against an inflation target of 3%.

How is a council's grade worked out?

Each municipality gets points for its total income and its population, and the total sets the grade. Grade 1 is 0 to 16.66 points and Grade 6 is 83.36 points or more (item 4).

On population alone, a municipality with fewer than 73,857 people scores 8.33 points and one with more than 2.229 million people scores 50, according to BusinessTech. That is why big metros sit at the top of the scale and small rural councils at the bottom.

What else can councillors be paid?

On top of the package, a council may pay:

Extra	Upper limit
Cellphone allowance	R3,600 a month (item 11)
Data allowance	R317 a month (item 12)
Official travel in own car	Reimbursed per kilometre (BusinessTech)
Special risk cover for riot or unrest damage	Up to R1.5 million for a home and R750,000 for a vehicle (BusinessTech)

Councillors who lost their seats in the 2026 elections can also claim a once-off gratuity of up to three months' basic salary, as EWN reported on 9 November.

FAQ

How much does a ward councillor earn in South Africa in 2026?

An ordinary part-time councillor can be paid between R290,653 a year (Grade 1 municipality) and R617,948 a year (Grade 6), under Government Notice 7159 of 2026.

How much does a mayor earn in South Africa?

A full-time executive mayor can be paid between R919,541 a year in a Grade 1 municipality and R1,650,039 in a Grade 6 municipality.

Who decides how much councillors are paid?

The Minister of Cooperative Governance sets upper limits each year. Each council then sets actual pay within those limits in its budget.

Do councillors get allowances on top of their salary?

Yes. A council may pay a cellphone allowance of up to R3,600 a month and a data allowance of up to R317 a month, plus reimbursement for official travel.