The average salary at the SABC – R791,000
The SABC’s latest annual report revealed that the average salary package at the state broadcaster is R791,000 per year – much higher than most private institutions.
The report, tabled in parliament on 17 November, revealed that the SABC made a net loss of R511 million over the last financial year.
Revenue declined by 12% to R5.7 billion, TV licence revenue declined by 18% to R791 million, and there was R202 million in irregular expenditure.
The dismal state of the state broadcaster’s finances does not mean its employees did not receive excellent packages.
In fact, SABC employees are some of the best-paid in the South Africa IT and broadcasting market.
Top managers received an average salary package of R3.91 million per year, while senior managers received R2.15 million.
Middle managers got paid an average of R1.23 million per year and junior managers received a package of R998,000.
The table below provides an overview of the average salary package of SABC employees based on seniority.
| SABC Personnel Cost | ||
| Level | Number of employees | Average salary package |
| Top Management | 8 | R3,910,000 |
| Senior Management | 27 | R2,149,000 |
| Middle Management | 374 | R1,234,000 |
| Junior Management | 489 | R998,000 |
| Supervisory Levels | 1,652 | R678,000 |
| Rest of Staff | 429 | R464,000 |
| Total | 2,979 | R791,000 |
Tech companies which pay the highest average salaries
Many South African tech companies pay their employees excellent salaries, with Vodacom and MultiChoice leading the pack.
Vodacom pays its employees an average salary of R861,070, while the average salary at MultiChoice is around R857,557.
This raises the question of why SABC employees should not receive the same compensation as their counterparts in the private sector.
There is a big difference. Vodacom and MultiChoice make big profits and pay billions in tax which fund education, the police, and social grants.
The SABC, in comparison, makes huge losses and relies on bailouts from the government to stay afloat.
Any private company in the SABC’s position would have either closed down or slashed employee numbers and salaries.
The table below shows how the SABC’s average salaries compare with other technology companies in South Africa that pay the highest average employee salaries.
| South African SOEs and Tech Companies | ||
| Company | Employees | Average Salary |
| Vodacom | 6,894 | R861,070 |
| MultiChoice | 7,457 | R857,557 |
| SABC | 2,979 | R791,000 |
| Sentech | 531 | R702,326 |
| Telkom | 15,099 | R630,969 |
| Broadband Infraco | 155 | R613,794 |
| MTN | 19,288 | R549,409 |
| Denel | 3,968 | R540,575 |
| Adapt IT | 1,088 | R530,800 |
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