City Press reports that despite their monthly salary of R200,000, no ministers in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Cabinet have to pay for their electricity.

This after the President changed the rules governing the Cabinet’s perks in April this year – the same month that the rest of the country’s electricity tariffs were increased by an average of 10% – to fully exempt ministers and their deputies from paying for any municipal services at their official residences. This means that ministers, who earn a salary of R2.4 million a year, and their deputies, who earn R2 million annually, can use electricity and water to their hearts’ content, while ordinary citizens have to pay. Previously, there had been a limit of R5,000 on the amount that Cabinet members could claim for water and power, but this limit was scrapped in April. The revision to the ministerial handbook that came into effect on 13 April indicates that “the department responsible for public works shall be responsible for the costs associated with the provision of water and electricity to official residences”. Ramaphosa’s generosity did not stop at water and electricity. He also increased the limit that Cabinet members can spend on luxury cars. The impact of this windfall is aggravated by the fact that SA has one of the most bloated executives in the world. Ramaphosa’s gravy train has 62 passengers – 28 ministers and 34 deputies. The President and his Cabinet are moreover spared load shedding because their official residences in the Bryntirion Estate in Pretoria are powered by the same substation that provides uninterrupted power to the Union Buildings.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dawie Boonzaaier at City Press (subscriber access only)
• Lees ook, Jý dok op vir ministers se water en ligte, by Maroela Media

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page