Should government officials reveal their salaries to the public?

When it comes to salaries and wages, it's quite a sticky topic that many seem to walk on eggshells about. How much one earns is private information and not something that's shared with the public. But when it comes to government and celebrities in the limelight, it's a different story. 

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According to BusinessTech, a study published by StatsSA found that our national government spends R137 billion on salaries and compensation for their employees. This information is available for the public to see, but should it be revealed? This got me thinking.

Many public officials are uncomfortable with subjecting their compensation to scrutiny as governments and transparency groups work to open the information to the public.

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There's a story doing the rounds about one government official who has been earning a full salary with benefits for over a year since a suspension took place. Surely, we as the public have a right to know what's going on, right?

In most cases though, the monetary amount of the salary and benefits are a mystery, because 'personal information' of staff members is not allowed to be divulged. But at other times, it's revealed for the public to see.

Should government officials be forced to tell us their salaries? And if they do, do you think it would make any difference to what we think about them?