Despite his assertions to the contrary, it has been revealed that President Robert Mugabe is in fact among the highest paid African leaders, coming in at a tidy number 11 on the continent in terms of his remuneration — and not withstanding the fact that a recent survey deemed Zimbabwe to be the second poorest country in the world.
In March this year, Mugabe said that he earned $12 000 a month, complaining publicly that his salary was not as much as other presidents earned.
But Africa Review, a member of the influential Daily Nation media group of Kenya, says in a recent ranking of the salaries of African presidents’ that Mugabe earned at least 69 times more than what the average Zimbabwean earned a month.
“Overall, it appears that leaders of poor countries tend to pay themselves more than those in higher-income countries.
“But salaries, of course, do not tell the whole story and some of the presidents believed to have the highest personal wealth, do not even feature in the top 10.
“The Africa Review has compiled and analysed salaries of African leaders to try and see what they tell about the relationship between those in power and the governed,” it said in its report.
This comes as the United States State Department has called for Zimbabwe to make public Mugabe’s office budget, as a step towards improving fiscal transparency.
Paul Biya of Cameroon was ranked by the report as Africa’s top earner, with an annual salary of $601 000, while King Mohammed VI of Morocco was second with $480 000.
South Africa’s Jacob Zuma was ranked third on a $272 000 annual salary, and Tanzania’s Jakaya Kikwete sat on fourth position with $192 000.
Occupying position five was Abdel Aziz Bouteflika of Algeria, who earns $168 000 per year, while just below him was Theodore Nguema of Equatorial Guinea, whose salary was estimated to be around $150 000.
Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta was seventh on a $132 000 annual salary, while Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud of Somalia was eighth with $120 000.
Anchoring the top 10 list was Ikililou Dhoinine of Comoros on ninth, earning $115 000, and 10th being Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo Republic with $110 000 per year.
Interestingly, the report stated Mugabe’s salary at $108 000, well below what the nonagenarian himself says he earns — which suggests that he could have been placed higher on the salary rankings had Africa Review been privy to his current remuneration.
Biya was said to earn an obscene 229 times more than what an average Cameroonian earned, followed by Liberia where President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf earned 113 times what her average citizen does.
Mugabe’s salary revelation earlier this year suggested that he had awarded himself a whopping 300 percent increase over the past year, from $4 000 a month.
“You won’t believe, we pay them (doctors) now perhaps $3 000 and we pay the President about $10 000, a few allowances will make it $12 000 and we were looking at the salaries of other presidents the other day but we know that is a hardship that we go through,” Mugabe said then.
“We say as long as we have sadza nenyama (thick porridge and beef) and takatora nyika (we liberated this country) and we have cattle and goats, so we get our meat and chickens, we say we are alright, we keep alive. The good days will come and the good days are coming.”