New cabinet could cost SA taxpayer almost R1bn a year
PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma's new cabinet, announced on Sunday, is expected to cost South Africans R143-million a year, and that is excluding the perks.
As expected, Zuma rejigged his cabinet, and created two new ministries.
South Africa boasts 35 ministers who each earn around R2.1-million a year, whereas the 37 deputy ministers will each earn R1.7-million.
In response to the announcement of the new cabinet, the EFF said with the perks and staff included the cost of Zuma's new executive could actually be close to R1-billion a year.
"The average expenditure on each minister and deputy for their cars, houses [both in Pretoria and Cape Town], protection services and transport exceeds a total of R10-million.
"This means almost R1-billion is spent on this permanent government mass meeting of ministers before we can even think of core functions and programmes that change lives," EFF spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said.
The DA was critical of the formation of a new ministry for Small Business Development. "The new, superfluous ministry, when government ought to focus on reducing the public sector wage bill, adds to a bloated economics cluster struggling to effectively coordinate job creation," David Ross said.
Zuma's announcement of his new cabinet included new ministries for telecommunications and postal services, and communications. The ministry of women now falls within the Presidency. Some of the perks for South Africa's ministers include five-star accommodation when travelling, and depending on the state of their accommodation in Cape Town they can also stay in hotels.
Former Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson stayed for a month at the five-star Vineyard Hotel and Spa in Cape Town in 2009 at a cost of R134735, had a five- week stay at the Peermont D'Oreal Grande Emperor's Palace in Johannesburg that year costing R289352 and rented a luxury apartment for R420000 in Johannesburg during the World Cup. – Quinton Mtyala, Additional reporting Denise Williams
