Minister of trade, industry and competition Ebrahim Patel has responded to outrage over ministerial perks amid rolling blackouts and a spiralling cost of living crisis.
The benefits given to ministers have come under the spotlight in recent months after City Press revealed the ministerial handbook had been amended to remove a cost cap on municipal utilities for ministers and their deputies.
In the weeks that have followed the Sunday Times and TimesLIVE have reported how ministers and deputies live in mansions collectively worth more than R967m, how taxpayers have forked out R2bn over five years for “support staff” in various ministerial offices, and how they enjoy uninterrupted power in their Pretoria homes after the government spent more than R7m on generators and inverters.
Asked about the criticism of ministerial perks on the sidelines of the Proudly South African Buy Local Summit, Patel told TimesLIVE he understand the frustrations of citizens.
“In a moment when all South Africans are having enormous challenges, I can completely understand the anger”.
While his ministerial home in Gauteng may be less affected, he said power cuts still hit hard in his Cape Town home.
“I have to calibrate my Zoom meetings in the Cape Town house, where I am subject to load-shedding, so we have now bought a little UPS and just hope the Wi-Fi lasts long enough until the lights come back on.”
He said his department was making adjustments to help businesses deal with the power crisis
“We are trying to see what contribution can be made. We have slashed many of our budgets and put R1.3bn from savings on unnecessary expenditure into a new fund to support small and medium businesses with energy resilience. The fund will be launched soon.
“South Africans feel it, but small businesses find their economic rationale is wiped away because of load-shedding.”
Amid the outcry over ministerial perks, Ramaphosa told parliament late last year he had withdrawn the ministerial handbook because he wanted an independent body to assess it.
“We have a situation where the salaries of public representatives [are] determined by an independent body and it occurred to me that an issue such as this would also need [that] because all of us who tend to determine these benefits are insiders and you need an independent body that could examine these.”
Ministers earn R2,473,682 annually, while deputy ministers’ salaries are R2,037,129.
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‘I can completely understand the anger’ — Minister Ebrahim Patel on backlash over ministerial perks
Image: File/ Freddy Mavunda
Minister of trade, industry and competition Ebrahim Patel has responded to outrage over ministerial perks amid rolling blackouts and a spiralling cost of living crisis.
The benefits given to ministers have come under the spotlight in recent months after City Press revealed the ministerial handbook had been amended to remove a cost cap on municipal utilities for ministers and their deputies.
In the weeks that have followed the Sunday Times and TimesLIVE have reported how ministers and deputies live in mansions collectively worth more than R967m, how taxpayers have forked out R2bn over five years for “support staff” in various ministerial offices, and how they enjoy uninterrupted power in their Pretoria homes after the government spent more than R7m on generators and inverters.
Asked about the criticism of ministerial perks on the sidelines of the Proudly South African Buy Local Summit, Patel told TimesLIVE he understand the frustrations of citizens.
“In a moment when all South Africans are having enormous challenges, I can completely understand the anger”.
While his ministerial home in Gauteng may be less affected, he said power cuts still hit hard in his Cape Town home.
“I have to calibrate my Zoom meetings in the Cape Town house, where I am subject to load-shedding, so we have now bought a little UPS and just hope the Wi-Fi lasts long enough until the lights come back on.”
He said his department was making adjustments to help businesses deal with the power crisis
“We are trying to see what contribution can be made. We have slashed many of our budgets and put R1.3bn from savings on unnecessary expenditure into a new fund to support small and medium businesses with energy resilience. The fund will be launched soon.
“South Africans feel it, but small businesses find their economic rationale is wiped away because of load-shedding.”
Amid the outcry over ministerial perks, Ramaphosa told parliament late last year he had withdrawn the ministerial handbook because he wanted an independent body to assess it.
“We have a situation where the salaries of public representatives [are] determined by an independent body and it occurred to me that an issue such as this would also need [that] because all of us who tend to determine these benefits are insiders and you need an independent body that could examine these.”
Ministers earn R2,473,682 annually, while deputy ministers’ salaries are R2,037,129.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
READ MORE:
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DA drives point home outside lavish, blackout-proof estate housing president, ministers
R2bn on 'support': Cabinet costs soar as ministers ignore spending limits
Ministers and deputies live in mansions valued at nearly R1bn, Patricia de Lille reveals
Ministerial handbook withdrawn 'for matter to be properly processed', says Ramaphosa
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