Netwerk24 reports that the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Nomvula Mokonyane, recently approved an increase of R11.3-million in respect of the costs of a group of 31 Cuban engineers.  

This was notwithstanding the situation that the department was in financial difficulties.  Leon Basson, Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesman for water and sanitation, now wants answer about the “massive” increase.  In particular, he wants to find out what each of the Cubans, who arrived in SA in February 2015, have been doing for the past two years and what they are presently engaged in.  In an answer to a parliamentary question, Mokonyane indicated that the engineers’ total basic salaries increased from R10.4-million to R19.1-million.  Their annual transport costs increased dramatically to R5.1-million, while their housing costs were R6.4-million.  The department also pays the engineers’ cell phone an internet costs.  According to Basson, each of the engineers is costing R1 million annually “and yet we still don’t know what they have done so far.” (Loosely translated from Afrikaans)

• Read this report by Elise Tempelhoff in full in Afrikaans at Netwerk24 (limit on access)

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