So here it is, folks – who exactly are the highest paid men or women in sports in South Africa?
We’ll kick things off with the number 10 spot, going to none other than Chris Morris.
Never heard him.
Plays cricket.
10) Chris Morris – Cricketer – R6.5 million
Jeez, what a beaut.
The bowler earns $40,000 a season from his Johannesburg-based Lions team, but $625,000 from the IPL’s Chennai Super Kings.
9) JP Pietersen – R10.8 million
Weird – I thought Bryan would have earned more than him? Oh, they pay Cape Town players less – because the lifestyle is so much better. Seriously – that’s what I’m told.
That aside – ten bar – not bad, JP.
The Springboks winger has a $1.1 million per season contract with Japan’s Panasonic Wild Knights. The deal is at least five times more than what he earns a year in South Africa from his provincial and national contracts combined.
8) Jaque Fourie – Rugby player – R12.7 million
The Springbok centre signed a two-year contract worth $2.6 million to play for the Kobe Kobelco Steelers in Japan.
7) Jacques Kallis – Cricketer – R12.7 million
Jacques Kallis makes $305,000 a year playing for South Africa and $1 million a year from the IPL’s Kolkata Knight Riders. He was named International Cricket Council Player of the Year 2005, among various other achievements.
6) Oscar Pistorius – Sprinter – R15 million
Oscar Pistorius was earning approximately $1.5 million during the 2012 Paralympics, with the majority of his salary resulting from his sponsorship deals.
5) Steven Pienaar – English Premier League Footballer – R50 million
Steven Pienaar earns an estimated $5 million a year playing for Everton and is also the youngest athlete on the list.
4) Charl Schwartzel – Professional Golfer – R59 million
The winner of the Masters Tournament in 2011 earns $5.9 million a year.
3) Retief Goosen – Professional Golfer – R60 million
Having won the US Open twice, The Goose now has an annual income of $6 million.
2) Louis Oosthuizen – Professional Golfer – R98 million
The winner of the 2010 British Open and runner-up in the 2012 Masters Tournament boasts earnings of $9.8 million.
1) Ernie Els – Professional Golfer – Between R180 million and R195 million
Ernie Els was named South Africa’s highest-paid sportsman in 2012 with an income of $18.2 million last year, according to the Sunday Times newspaper. His annual salary is a result of $3.5 million in tournament winnings and $14.7 million from endorsements and commercial work. This figure was disputed by Forbes magazine list of the ‘World’s 100 Highest Paid Athletes’, where Els placed 78th with an income of $19.5 million, the only South African to make the cut.
The former world No. 1 who has won four world championships, including the U.S. Open twice and The Open Championship twice also runs a golf course design business.
This list was compiled and published at thesouthafrican.com
Exchange rate at time of publishing was R10 to the US Dollar
