South African taxpayers will now have to fork out even more geld to maintain the lives of the politically elite following President Cyril Ramaphosa’s drastic Cabinet reshuffle.
As of Monday night, there are now 30 ministers in the cabinet, who each take home just over R2.4 million per year.
According to the 2019 Guide for Members of the executive committee – the current document in use – they also receive a host of other benefits at the cost of financially-strapped citizens. They will receive additional staff, which includes household aides to a chief of staff, at a cost of around R8.62 million per year.
They will also receive VIP protection worth R8m, water and electricity worth R120 000, and vehicles for around R1.5m. Bearing this package in mind, each minister costs the SA taxpayer roughly R20m each year.
That means South Africans spend R600m per year on minister packages alone – and there are also deputy ministers.
On the topic of expenditure, two new ministers were added to the Cabinet: Minister of Electricity Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, and Minister in the Presidency responsible for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa.
The Minister of Electricity was appointed because of the klomp troubles at Eskom, which State-owned Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan apparently could not put an end to.
According to Ramaphosa, he wanted Ramokgopa to fix the ongoing load shedding that has crippled the country’s economy.
He said the Minister of Electricity will work with Eskom to jack up the country’s power stations, and will remain in office for as long as there is an energy crisis.
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