Incentivising for achievement
We have a strategy to encourage high performance and productivity. It includes offering attractive and sustainable performance incentives that are applied fairly and consistently.
We use integrated performance management to recognise superior organisational, team and individual performance.
Remuneration mix aligned to strategy
Market-related remuneration is essential for recruiting and retaining the best staff. Our remuneration mix has variable and fixed elements and includes monetary and non-monetary rewards. Variable pay consists of performance bonuses and various value-adding allowances, and is paid according to the results of individual remuneration reviews.
We do annual benchmarking to ensure the continued competitiveness of guaranteed pay.
Employees contribute 7,5% to the pension fund and can choose an employer contribution of 12%, 15%, 17,5% or 20%.
Employees also belong to the group life scheme where they may choose to “flex” their benefits between one and five times their pensionable earnings (over and above the pension benefit).
Remuneration governance and management
Council’s Remuneration Committee has been paying close attention to the income differentials between the higher and lower salary bands. This includes establishing how these differentials affect fair and responsible remuneration and the perceptions of employees and other stakeholders of the NWU as a value-adding institution.
It is a priority to close the income differentials and address the enhancement of salaries of academic staff.
In 2023, through the salary increases agreed on in the collective bargaining process, we built on the differentiated increases that were introduced in 2019 to cater for academic staff and staff on the lower income bands.
Executive contracts
Council oversees and approves the appointment of the vice-chancellor, deputy vice-chancellors, the registrar, executive directors and deputy vice-chancellors for assignable functions and campus operations. These appointments are made in line with the NWU Statute and the Council’s Rules.
| Name | Basic salary | Employee benefits | Other allowance payments | Total cost to NWU 2022 |
| Prof MB Tyobeka** | 3 281 727 | 389 928 | 366 924 | 4 038 579 |
| Prof LA du Plessis | 2 559 082 | 35 014 | 731 407 | 3 325 503 |
| Prof DM Balia | 2 373 711 | 173 436 | 269 485 | 2 816 632 |
| Prof S Swanepoel | 2 280 736 | 35 014 | 257 473 | 2 573 223 |
| Prof MM Verhoef | 2 663 042 | 343 889 | 3 006 931 | |
| Prof RJ Balfour | 2 564 648 | 319 820 | 2 884 468 | |
| Prof MJ Mphahlele | 2 560 246 | 266 496 | 2 826 742 | |
| Ms E de Beer | 2 780 664 | 48 634 | 243 060 | 3 072 359 |
| Dr M Singh | 2 352 598 | 36 206 | 269 887 | 2 658 690 |
| Mr NC Manoko | 2 095 848 | 145 944 | 287 733 | 2 529 525 |
| Prof JS Chalufu | 1 936 854 | 137 735 | 167 771 | 2 242 359 |
| Total | 27 449 156 | 1 001 910 | 3 523 944 | 31 975 010 |
| ** | This management member has not been in service for a full year – 2022. Remuneration was annualised. These include annual remuneration, levies, bonuses and in the case of the vice-chancellor, housing benefits (refer to note 32 in the annual financial statements – relate-party transactions). |
| • | Dr M Singh will retire on 31 December 2024. |
| • | All members of management were in service for the full year – 2023. No annualising of remuneration. |
External members’ fees
The remuneration of members of Council and Council committees comprises an honorarium paid as a token of our gratitude for their time and effort. The honorarium, paid in August and December, is linked to our annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) process and approved by Council’s Exco.
More information about the honoraria that members received for each meeting attended is available under the heading Remuneration of externally elected Council members in the Governance section of this report.
Honoraria payments (gross remuneration to Council members) in 2023:
| Name | R value |
| Mrs UAD Baravalle | 87 792 |
| Mrs S Britz | 62 186 |
| Prof AL Combrink | 25 606 |
| Mr JDS de Bruyn | 95 092 |
| Rev PD Dinkebogile | 41 184 |
| Mr XV Hadebe | 32 326 |
| Mrs RA Kenosi | 165 556 |
| Mr TC Kgomo | 84 252 |
| Adv M Kruger | 60 132 |
| Mr CS Mabe | 80 452 |
| Ms S Mlambo | 18 290 |
| Mr SM Mohapi | 43 864 |
| Mr TV Mokgatlha | 80 519 |
| Mr LE Seilane | 21 932 |
| Mr AM Sorgdrager | 361 953 |
| Ms E Stander | 37 809 |
| MR MSJ Thabethe | 86 077 |
| Mrs PP Thebe | 10 974 |
| Mr PM Tlhabanyane | 70 448 |
| Prof MB Tyobeka* | 62 361 |
| Mrs M van Zyl | 43 292 |
| Mr TP Venter | 21 948 |
| Ms PS Moleke | 3 658 |
| Mr OE Mongale | 117 040 |
| Mrs MJ Mwase | 27 415 |
| Adv PG Seleka | 43 896 |
| Grand total | 1 786 054 |
Organisational culture
For the past three years, the NWU has been focusing on building an inclusive, enabling and welcoming environment and organisational culture.
We do this by celebrating the NWU values, conducting culture-based activities and promoting a transparent and values-driven leadership culture.
In 2023, we held team-building sessions and through the Leadership Academy, did training on engagement and leading through inclusivity.
We also identified values champions who and launched the NWU Media and Organisational Citizenship Recognition Awards to celebrate, recognise and award staff and students who live and demonstrate the NWU values.
In August, Women’s Month, we launched the Organisational Citizenship Behaviours Women’s Month Award and presented the inaugural Women in Leadership Programme.
