The Billion Rand President: Facts and Figures

by The Editor


FEATURE: As set out in detail in a previous article, the privileges afforded President Jacob Zuma by the Ministerial Handbook – cars, flights, accommodation, security, etc – total at least R514 million over the course of a five year term, or R102 million annually. Over two terms he would cost the public in excess of at least R1 billion. What follows below are a set of facts and figures drawn from those totals, as well as some comparative illustrations of what the various totals are equivalent to.

UPDATE: For the latest up-to-date figures, including new information, see: ‘The Billion Rand President: Update – R8.1m in Ferry Flights added‘

The Billion Rand President: Facts and Figures

By: Gareth van Onselen


20 August 2012

The privileges afforded President Jacob Zuma by the Ministerial Handbook – cars, flights, accommodation, security, etc – total at least R514 million over the course of a five year term, or R102 million annually. Over two terms he would cost the public in excess of at least R1 billion.

For all the details, read: ‘The Billion Rand President: How much Jacob Zuma costs the taxpayer’.

Here are some comparative and disaggregated statistics, using those amounts.

1. Breakdown by Category:

Zuma’s total five year costs can be broken down roughly as follows:

• Salary and Related Expenses: R25m
• Accommodation: R35m
• VIP Protection: R60m
• Spousal Support Unit: R77m
• Flights: R316m

2. R514 m Breakdown by Time:

One can do various things with the R514 million figure. For example, one could break it down by term, year, month, week, hour, even minute:

• Five Years: R514 145 362.00
• One Year: R102 829 072.00
• One Month: R8 569 089.00
• One Week: R1 977 482.00
• One Day: R282 497.00
• One Hour: R11 770.00
• One Minute: R196.00

This means that:

• A six hour round of golf would be equivalent to R70 620.
• An 8 hour sleep at night would be equivalent to R94 160.
• If the President slept 56 hours a week (8 hours a night) that would be equivalent to approximately R660 000.
• Watching a two hour movie would be equivalent to R23 000.
• A two week holiday would be equivalent to R3 980 000.
• Microwaving a 2 minute ready-meal would be equivalent to R400.

3. Comparative Costs:

• An RDP House costs approximately R50 000. Over five years, Zuma’s running costs are equivalent to 10 354 RDP houses.
• A flight on Virgin Galatic’s Space ship will cost approximately R1.6m. Zuma’s five year cost is equivalent to roughly 323 trips to space and back.
• Swimming South Africa received approximately R1.7m from the Department of Sport in 2011. Zuma’s five year cost could fund the institution 304 times over.
• A school text book costs roughly R33. Zuma’s cost for one month is equivalent to 216 414 text books.
• A standard laptop costs around R4 000. Zuma’s cost over a year is equivalent to 25 888 laptops.

UPDATE: For the latest up-to-date figures, including new information, see: ‘The Billion Rand President: Update – R8.1m in Ferry Flights added‘

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