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Millions paid by taxpayers to buy generators and inverters for ministers and deputy ministers

Details

southafricalogoSunday Times reports that as South Africans suffer under loadshedding, minister and their deputies have been shielded from blackouts by the government spending more than R7m to buy generators and inverters for them at their official homes.

It emerged in parliament last week that the Department of Public Works has been “procuring and installing alternative power supply systems” at ministerial homes in Pretoria’s affluent suburbs such as Waterkloof at a cost of R7.04m since 2019. These alternative power supply systems include generators, solar systems and inverters that keep the lights burning and appliances on for ministers and their deputies while ordinary taxpayers remain in the dark during loadshedding. This was revealed by the new public works minister Sihle Zikalala in response to written questions by DA MP Leon Schreiber. Zikalala’s revelations are at odds with the stance taken by minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Mtshavheni, who said recently in response to an accusation that ministerial homes were not subjected to loadshedding: “That is a fallacy.” Ministers and their deputies also enjoy taxpayer-sponsored water and electricity at their state-allocated homes in Pretoria, at a cost to taxpayers of R22m since 2019. A further R25m was spent during the same period on water and electricity bills racked up at ministerial homes in Cape Town.

  • Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thabo Mokone at Sunday Times (subscriber access only)
  • Read too, Some live in comfort without load shedding, at City Press (subscriber access only)
  • And also, Here’s how much SA’s been forking out on generators, inverters for ‘rock star’ ministers, at The Citizen


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