Johannesburg - The DA has expressed its unhappiness with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to cut some of the perks enjoyed by members of his executive and described the move as not going far enough.
This past weekend, the Sunday Independent reported that Ramaphosa approved the changes to the guide for members of the executive, which was formerly known as the ministerial handbook, to ensure good governance with due regard to cost effectiveness and efficiency.
The guide covers perks for ministers, their deputies, premiers and MECs.
DA MP Zakhele Mbhele said although the move was long overdue, it barely scratches the surface of what needs to be done.
”While this executive fat-trimming is a step in the right direction, it does not offer any hope for ordinary South Africans who are grappling with difficult financial times as a result of the fast-growing cost of living and whose earnings are failing to keep up with rises in fuel and food prices,” Mbele said.
He added that if households are being forced to tighten their belts and reduce their spending budgets, the executive elite must do the same.
The guide cuts the staff compliments in the offices of deputy ministers from 11 to ten, premiers and MECs have 12 and 11 employees in their offices, respectively, which is down from 13.
Ministers will remain with 15 in their private offices.
However, Mbele asked: “What on earth do most deputy ministers do in their jobs that necessitates such a large support staff? What unique, material and compelling value-add is the public getting from these office-bearers that clearly justifies allotting them so much in human resource capacity?”
He described the changes as “dainty-fingered Cabinet fat-trimming” and called on Ramaphosa to do some bold and brutal Cabinet culling and not just as an austerity measure to cut costs in government but also because he could practically afford to do so.
”The DA has long called for the rationalisation of the national Cabinet both in its size and configuration.
Over the past two decades, the Cabinet has ballooned into one of the biggest in the world,” Mbele added.
He said the country could not afford to prop up a bloated collection of cadres when South Africans are grappling with the skyrocketing cost of living.
According to the new guide, the government will not be liable for the costs of any security upgrades effected or to be effected in the private residence of a member of the national or provincial executive, including a private residence designated as an official residence.
In the past, the costs of security measures for a private residence designated as an official residence and one other private residence which is not designated as an official residence were carried by the state with due regard to a security analysis.