“Who Does the Screening for These Jobs”: Salary of Parliamentary Cleaner Sparks a Debate
- South African social media users were shocked after claims circulated that Parliament cleaners earn a whopping R30,000 monthly salary
- The National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) has strongly refuted these claims, stating the actual salary is approximately R12,000 per month
- Many South Africans questioned the fairness of government spending priorities, with some suggesting parliamentary cleaning positions might be given to those with political connections
Source: Twitter
A viral post claiming parliamentary cleaners earn R30,000 monthly has ignited heated discussions about government salaries and spending priorities. Content creator @_ShaunKeyz, who regularly posts about current affairs, shared the controversial claim on X (formerly Twitter), stating:
"Parliament cleaners earn R30K per month? Dam, those people are eating moc."
View the X post below.
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Union refutes R30,000 salary claims
The National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) has strongly denied these claims, following statements reportedly made by Democratic Alliance MP Mark Burke at a recent parliamentary session.
When addressing the matter, Nehawu's Parliamentary Chairperson Sthembiso Tembe took issue with the information being circulated. Tembe clarified that parliament cleaning staff receive around R12,000 monthly, substantially below the figure mentioned in social media discussions.
"It's very painful that we have to respond to this disgraceful and fabricated exaggerated comments from this Member of Parliament from the Democratic Alliance," Tembe stated. "The current salary of the cleaners in Parliament is less than R13,000, it's plus or minus R12,000 as it stands."
In his response, Tembe indicated that despite planned increases to staff compensation, the amount would remain well below the R30,000 figure that sparked public debate.
During a podcast interview, Tembe elaborated on the planned salary adjustments. He confirmed that cleaners would receive a 40% increase during the 2025-26 financial year (approximately R4,000) and a final 50% increase the following year (around R5,000). Even with these substantial increases, the final salary would still fall short of the R30,000 figure that sparked the debate.
Source: Twitter
Social media reactions to parliamentary cleaner salaries
@TeeTouchza suggested nepotism might be involved:
"Those people are related to the ministers. I doubt you'll get that job just by applying 🤣🤣"
@Thulaganyo_G provided perspective:
"Sounds like a lot of money, but do you know how much the CEO of Shoprite earns per annum?"
@iamVentWELL_SA compared it to other public sector salaries:
"Braaa if you think that's not Fair... Apparently Clinics and School Security Guards Emakhaya are meant to be earning 13k per Month kodwa they earn R3.5k 😭"
@RaymondDitshego questioned salary priorities:
"😳😳 Government had the money to increase their parliamentary cleaners' salaries but yet they can't afford to pay doctors and nurses 😔. Guys please plug us where does one get a degree to be a parliamentary cleaner?"
@Mulugisi_jury called for investigation:
"The recruitment processes of parliamentary cleaners must be investigated. I bet you it's comrades and relatives of senior parliamentary staff working there."
Other salary discussions trending in SA
- A young South African lawyer on TikTok sparked discussion after sharing underwhelming information about attorneys' starting salaries.
- Briefly News also covered NFL kicker salaries that became a hot topic following the concluded regular season, with sports fans curious about average earnings and top-paid players in this specialized position.
- A car salesman's TikTok video addressing whether a R10,000 monthly salary could afford a vehicle purchase went viral.
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Source: Briefly News
