2 min read
11 October 2022
13:15

The president changed the rules governing Cabinets’ perks in April this year to fully exempt ministers and their deputies from paying for any municipal services at their official residences.

Radio Islam International discussed with DA’s Leon Schreiber, DA MP and party spokesperson on public service and administration, about the ministers in the bloated cabinet of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s exempted benefits.

In April this year, new benefits saw cabinet ministers not paying anything for their electricity, nor have they suffered the same load-shedding woes as the rest of the country.

Schreiber said taxpayers are footing the bill for water and electricity of about 126 properties in Cape Town and Pretoria, officially belonging to the cabinet ministers.

He added that taxpayers are forced to pay the bill of the same cabinet ministers who essentially robbed South African citizen’s reliable and essential access to water and electricity.

According to Schreiber, the benefits were exempted in April, and the public knows nothing about it.

He added that amongst free water and free electricity, they also have perks, including two houses; one in Pretoria and the other in Cape Town; they get free flights and are allowed to buy vehicles costing up to R800 000 and get services at their homes.

He also said that the cabinet ministers are not subjected to load shedding and water shedding like the rest of the country. Earlier this year, the public works department installed generators worth R2.6 million in each of the ministers’ properties.

Schreiber said the Democratic Alliance would take firm action against these exempted benefits once they finalize their cause of action.

The DA said they would challenge the entire ministerial handbook, which allows the president to force South Africans to pay for the exempted ministerial benefits.

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