The presidency has made an about-turn on the amendments of the ministerial handbook which gave ministers free water and electricity at their official residences.
Following public outcry, President Cyril Ramaphosa, through his spokesperson Vincent Magwenya, announced the scrapping of the amendments.
During a media briefing on Monday at the Union Buildings, Magwenya announced that the president had ordered the withdrawal of the 2022 amendments made to the ministerial handbook.
“Onto a topical issue, President Ramaphosa has ordered the withdrawal process of the presidential minute on the executive member's guide commonly known as the ministerial handbook for 2022.
“The withdrawal will give effect to the 2019 version of the executive guide pending a review,” he said.
Magwenya said Ramaphosa noted the public outcry which prompted him to make the decision.
“However, the perception created that the amendments were conducted in secrecy and to avoid public scrutiny is false.”
The ministerial handbook provides guidelines on office benefits and perks that can be enjoyed by ministers, their deputies, premiers and MECs.
The president amended the handbook back in April, which some said was a deviation to the 2019 cost-cutting measures which were meant to introduce a much more trimmed down cabinet budget.
DA MP Leon Schreiber had earlier in the day announced the party had laid a complaint with the public protector over the apparent fact that there is no law that provides for the existence of the ministerial handbook.
“In our view, it is also clearly inconsistent with the constitution that the president can hide his milking of taxpayers from parliament. But Ramaphosa need not wait for the public protector to make a finding. It should be obvious to him that the public does not accept his government’s lame excuses for why the president should have dictatorial powers over this handbook.”
Responding to this, Magwenya said there was nothing “nefarious” about the amendments but rather balancing the living cost of ministers.
“The intention behind the amendment was not a nefarious one but the intention was to try and find some form of balance between what ministers can afford to pay versus the costs they have. Pretty much all of them have their own residences and by virtue of being ministers, they then inherit two officials residences and so now you have a scenario of costs for three homes.
“Be that as it may, we can no longer further debate that outcry and the merits of that outcry except to say let's accept what the public has given us as a message and let's conduct a necessary review that will ensure the next version of the guide is aligned to not only the public's expectation but the realities many South Africans face,” he said.
Magwenya emphasised the review was not in response to the DA's outrage.
“Opposition parties will do what opposition parties do. The president did not change his mind because the DA screamed at him from the rooftops but the president listened to the sentiments of ordinary members of the public and noted with hindsight a review was necessary.”
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