Africa-Press – South-Africa. Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele says Cabinet ministers have always been willing to save taxpayers’ money by reducing ministerial benefits, including credit card spending and staff appointments.
Gungubele said the review of the Ministerial Handbook, which outlines perks for ministers and deputy ministers, would be handled by a neutral structure.
The review of the Guide for Members of the Executive follows President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent withdrawal of amendments to the handbook.
The amendments would have seen ministers and their deputies benefit from additional perks, which included an increase in staff at their official residents.
The perks would have also seen taxpayers pay fully for water and electricity at the official residences of Cabinet officials.
The Ministerial Handbook shows ministers receive the benefit of water and electricity paid for by the Department of Public Works at a capped price of R5 000 per month.
Ramaphosa withdrew the new amendments that were initially approved in April.
Gungubele said Cabinet welcomed Ramaphosa’s withdrawal and endorsed a review of the Ministerial Handbook.
The review process would be “handled by a neutral structure”, he added.
Once the handbook had been reviewed, it would be made public through the Department of Public Service and Administration.
Gungubele insisted ministers were always willing to reduce their benefits as part of official duties.
“I wish I had statistics here today. In this administration, the perks of Cabinet ministers have been going down. Are they going down at a rate that impresses anyone? Maybe the neutral process will assist in answering that.
“I think it is the president’s conviction that this matter is dealt with in the same way that salaries issues are done.
“Ministers have always been prepared to reduce staff and using credit cards. All we need to accept is that the concern of our people has been taken into account,” he said on Thursday at a post-Cabinet press briefing in Pretoria.
The government faced widespread backlash for the ministerial benefit amendments from the public and opposition political parties.
The DA used the handbook to ramp up its political messaging that Ramaphosa and his Cabinet were determined to abuse taxpayer funds for their luxury.
The party had demanded that Ramaphosa scrap the Ministerial Handbook. It also demanded that Parliament, not the executive, should take charge of the benefits received by ministers.
DA MP Leon Schreiber said the review of the handbook, while welcomed by the DA, was not enough.
He added Ramaphosa had to go further and support efforts to remove his powers from ministerial perks and designate them to Parliament.
“This is still not good enough because the system remains subject to the president’s whims. We are currently compiling a private members bill which will remove the powers from the president to compile the handbook and to ensure that the handbook is subject to parliamentary oversight.
“The big problem is that he was able to introduce it in secret. The president’s move is not going to fix the system,” Schreiber told News24.
ANC alliance partner Cosatu was also outraged that citizens helped fund basic services of water and electricity at the homes of ministers.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
