Date 2017-11-30
Category ARTICLES
Top 5 Highest Paid African Presidents |
Since the Western colonizers left Africa, mainly in the 1960s, the world has been treated to all manner of political contests, some of them disastrous, as African leaders hustle for power. Some have massacred their own people just to gain or retain power, while others have ended up in jail for subverting the will of the people.
Everybody seems hell-bent on obtaining the big title and the trappings of power that come with it. Otherwise, why would someone risk destroying everything just to win a political seat? Among the reasons why most African Presidents don’t want to retire is the hefty salaries they earn.
Majority of these heads of state are entitled to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, not to mention the piles of financial privileges and benefits they are entitled to. Here are the top five highest paid African presidents.
South African President Jacob Zuma. Photo credit: TransAfrica Radio
Jacob Zuma, South Africa
The South African President Jacob Zuma, who is currently facing countless allegations of corruption and misuse of public resources, is said to be the highest paid African head of state with an annual income of more than $270,000.
Zuma, who assumed office in May 2009, is often accused of embezzling the country’s resources and partnering with people of questionable character to loot the public coffers. Last year, he admitted to having used public money, which ran into millions of dollars, to unlawfully renovate his private castle in South Africa.
