After a vociferous public backlash, President Cyril Ramaphosa has decided to withdraw his latest amendments to the Ministerial Handbook.
The amendments to the handbook included that ministers and deputies would receive unlimited free electricity and water. Ministers were also allowed to buy vehicles worth R800,000 and have as many as 15 aides, which created four new positions in each ministry. Salary scales of administrative support staff in ministerial offices were increased from R850,000 to R1.15 million per year.Apart from the public outcry, the DA and Cosatu also called for the new amendments to the handbook to be scrapped.
In a statement, the DA said Ramaphosa had betrayed the repeated promises he made when he assumed office — to reduce the unbearable burden of wasteful and corrupt spending. The party threatened legal action if the president failed to retract the amendments.
“Ramaphosa’s apparent effort to accommodate staff members that the ANC can no longer afford to pay by expanding the private offices of ministers and deputy ministers will cost South Africans, who are already struggling under the heavy burden of skyrocketing food, electricity and fuel prices, an astounding R87-million more every year,” the statement said.
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