The findings of the Council on Higher Education’s Inquiry into the Remuneration of University Vice-Chancellors and Senior Executive Managers has painted a picture of which universities allocate the most funds to their VCs.
Regardless, according to the Council of Higher Education’s 2024 report, the highest-paid VC in South Africa is at the University of Johannesburg , earning over R7.16 million .This is followed by the University of South Africa , Stellenbosch University , University of Zululand , University of Limpopo , and University of the Witwatersrand .
There was also an identified mismatch between what universities were paying their top brass and the knowledge output, particularly the number of research publications, and master’s and doctoral graduates. However, almost all universities think that executive remuneration “should reflect institutional performance, and that VCs and executives should be rewarded for exceptional, and disciplined for substandard, performance,” read the report.