The festive season will sure be jolly for the soldiers of the South African Defence Force.
The festive season will sure be jolly for the soldiers of the South African Defence Force.
President Jacob Zuma announced on Wednesday that they will receive salary increases effective from the first of this month. Unlike in many other quarters, it will be the lowest ranking soldiers who will benefit most.
Spokesperson of the Department of Defence and Military Veterans, Ndivhuwo Wa Ha Mabaya said the increases will range from 2 percent to 98 percent.
"Those who have already received their salaries this month will receive the increment as supplementary salaries before Friday," Wa Ha Mabaya said.
The salaries for Military Skills Development System members, who do military service on voluntary basis, will increase to a gross of R4318, which is well up from the current R2643 per month. The MSDS members who are in their second year of training will receive an increase of R2700, putting their current pay of R2643 per month up to R5343.
Privates’ salaries will be increased from R5286 to R7871 while lance-corporals’ pay will go up from to R6149 to R8519.
Full corporals’ salaries will now be R9222, up from R7274 and the salaries of sergeants will increase from R8962 to R10,182. A staff sergeant getting R11 044 will now receive R11 695. The pay of a warrant officer class two will increase by R479 from R13 498, while that of a warrant officer class will go up from R16 045 to R16 704.
Candidate officers who received R6149 will now get R8519. Second lieutenant’s salaries will increase from R7274 to R9 222, while first lieutenants will go up from R8962 to R10 805. A captain’s increase is from R13 498 to R13 977′, a lieutenant colonel’s from R20 026 to R20 770, a full colonel’s (level 11) from R31 000 to R32 000 and a full colonel (level 12) from R44 358 to R45 061.
