Godrich Gardee slams parliament salary & 'disgusting' living arrangements

Former EFF secretary-general Godrich Gardee has opted to throw in the towel as a MP, slamming his parliament salary and “disgusting” living arrangements.

Gardee resigned from his role as MP on Tuesday after he graduated with a law degree.

TimesLIVE reported that EFF spokesperson Vuyani Pambo confirmed that Gardee handed in his resignation letter on February 28.

Pambo said this was expected, as Gardee was now working full time as a candidate attorney at Mabuza Attorneys — a 9-to-5 job that would interfere with his duties as a parliamentarian.

Pambo said Gardee would remain the EFF's head of international relations.

Taking to social media after the news broke, Gardee opened up about the “disgusting” conditions MPs are forced to live in.

This after a user alleged that MPs cough up “R362 a month for a four-bedroom house at Acacia Park in Cape Town”.

“There is no four-bedroomed house for MPs,” said Gardee.

“Parliament does not supply kettle and toasters. That thing is a hostel, a workplace residence.

“It's by no choice we are there. Parliament will never attract the best of the brains to MPs, hence ANC MPs went for Bosasa subsidy.”

According to Gardee, even the salaries for MPs were too low to send their children to university.

He said the salary in parliament was “the most disgusting while working far away from home”.

“The hullabaloo about salaries of MPs is misplaced. MPs cannot even afford (to put their) own children in universities and their children cannot be considered for NSFAS, hence Bosasa paid for their children,” Gardee added.

Gardee said parliament was not an employer of choice and it did not pay a living wage.

“I will share my payslip with you, see the trauma and torture we are made to go through while the public think we are fat cats.

“There is no shower. The bathing basins are those used by [former president FW] De Klerk generation while they were there and never changed to date.”

Gardee said no-one aspired to serve parliament, because it was made up of old people “with no skill at all and good for nothing”.

“The parliament has become a retirement old people’s village.”

Concluding his rant, Gardee said MPs had no benefits or even a car allowance.