By Dylan Bettencourt
- Eskom’s lowest-paid workers earn R18,475 a month, far below the average of more than R1-million per employee, official data shows.
- Eskom says pay is based on internal scales, but critics say high executive salaries push the average unfairly higher.
While the average Eskom worker appears to earn more than R1-million a year, many on the ground take home less than R20,000 a month.
New data shared by MyBroadband, based on information first obtained by Moneyweb in 2018, shows the lowest-paid Eskom workers now earn R18,475 a month. That figure includes eight salary increases since 2018.
These workers, mostly technicians and operations staff, make up about two-thirds of Eskom’s 42,000 employees. Their salaries range from R18,475 to R81,248 a month depending on grade.
Eskom’s 2025 annual report shows an average salary of R1.026-million per employee. That figure comes from total staff costs divided by the full headcount.
Critics say that number is misleading because it includes top management. Even after removing executives and board members, who share R94.2-million among just 30 people, the average salary is still about R1.025-million.
Eskom says all employees are paid according to internal pay scales reviewed against the market each year. The utility has increased salaries by 64% over the past eight years, while inflation rose by 44% in the same period.
Pictured above: An Eskom worker.
Image source: @Eskom_SA
