President Cyril Ramaphosa has made a U-turn on newly approved amendments to the 2022 ministerial handbook, saying the perks and benefits for cabinet ministers will now be up for a review instead.
On Monday, Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said: “The withdrawal will give effect to the 2019 version of the executive guide pending a review.”
The decision came in the wake of public outrage after it emerged that ministers and their deputies did not pay for water and electricity.
A complaint was lodged with the office of the public protector amid unrest from political parties and civil society groups.
Magwenya said Ramaphosa acknowledged the public sentiments on the matter: “However, the impression created that the amendments were conducted in secrecy and to avoid public scrutiny is false.”
He explained that ministers “inherit” two official residences, which they must maintain in addition to their private homes.
“You have a scenario where you have costs for three homes,” he said.
The DA, which has actively opposed the amendments to the ministerial handbook, welcomed the news. DA MP Leon Schreiber described it as “a victory over ANC cadre corruption and for the people of South Africa”.
“It was the DA that exposed these changes over the past two weeks, whereby Ramaphosa planned to force taxpayers to pay for unlimited amounts of free water and electricity for the same ANC ministers and deputy ministers who robbed our country of these services.
“The DA also exposed that the new handbook would have nearly doubled the number of ANC cadres employed in ministerial offices, which would cost the public at least R87 million more every year,” Schreiber said.
He said the announcement was made hours after his party gave Ramaphosa an ultimatum to scrap the handbook or face a DA protest at Bryntirion Estate.
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