Ministers may get less to blow on cars

28 August 2011 - 04:25 By SIBUSISO NGALWA
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Cabinet ministers' spending on luxury cars will be moderately curbed while MPs will have to stay in cheaper hotels if President Jacob Zuma accepts new recommendations on their salaries and benefits.

The Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers has recommended that ministers should spend only up to 60% of their salaries to buy official cars - down from the 70% of the current allowance set out in the ministerial handbook.

The recommendations were announced by the commission, headed by Judge Willie Seriti, on Friday.

Other measures recommended include that ministers and MPs should only use their private vehicles for official purposes provided that the amount claimed is not "more than the cost of air travel, unless circumstances justify this".

Ministers and their deputies will still be allowed to stay in five-star hotels, but MPs will have to make do with four-star facilities.

Members of provincial legislatures, the commission said, should stay in three-star hotels.

Last year Independent Democrats leader and current Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille revealed what was termed the "second Travelgate" scandal involving MPs who - despite being allocated 48 return flight tickets annually - were claiming as much as R11000 for a road trip between Johannesburg and Cape Town, as there was no policy regulating travel.

The highest claim was R275512 by an MP for road trips between Pretoria and Cape Town in the 2009/2010 financial year.

Ministers also attracted criticism for splashing out on luxurious sedans costing R1-million and above. Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan proved to be the most economical, opting for two Lexus sedans costing just over R500000 each.

Ministers and their deputies are allowed two cars, one for use in Cape Town and another for Pretoria.

But now the commission also wants this dispensation moderated.

The commission also recommended an across-the-board 5% salary increase for all public office bearers - from the president, his cabinet, premiers, judges, magistrates, MECs, MPs, MPLs and traditional leaders, mayors to city and town councillors.

If this is adopted, Zuma's annual salary will be R2485000 while ministers and their deputies will get R1.9-million and R1.5-million, respectively.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will earn R2.2-million, the same amount earned by the speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu, and the chief justice. MPs' salaries will go up to R843000 a year.

If Zuma endorses the recommendations, it will mean that ministers may buy cars with price tags up to R1.14-million. At 70% of their salaries, they would have been able to buy cars costing up to R1.33-million.

Judge Seriti told a press conference that the adjustments were based on the consumer price index, affordability and trends in the private and public sector.

He said a recent forecast by the SA Reserve Bank predicted that inflation would be about 4.7% this year.

Last year Zuma left public office bearers, particularly MPs, unhappy when he downscaled the 7% recommended by the commission to 5%.

The commission also wants the Treasury to pay a once-off "gratuity" to former local government councillors who served a full five-year term from 2006 until the May 18 local government elections. The amount will be the equivalent of three months of a councillor's salary.

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