Ramokgopa and staff cost taxpayers R13m a year

Taxpayers are forking out about R13m annually for the salaries of electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and his staff.

Responding to a written question from the DA, Ramokgopa’s office said it had 12 staff and that the minister will earn more than R2.4m a year.

Two special advisers, Sarel Jacobs de la Rouviere and Silas Mzingeli Zimu, will be paid just under R2.16m each, while the lowest-paid member of the team, Elizabeth Selaelo Mosebedi, earns R125,373 for food services.

DA MP Samantha Graham-Mare noted that Ramokgopa’s appointment was announced on March 6 but it wasn’t until May 26 that his powers were confirmed in a government gazette.

“During those three months, Ramokgopa admitted himself that he was nothing more than a project manager, reporting to other ministers. Despite this, he received the full perks of a minister, earning an exorbitant salary of R178,311 a month,” said Graham-Mare.

“In these three months of inactivity, Ramokgopa and his staffers cost hard-working South Africans more than R3m, with nothing to show for it except expensive sightseeing trips and luxury clothing. This is a classic example of cadre deployment at its worst, where individuals are appointed to positions of power without the necessary accountability and outside existing structures,” she added.

“Minister Ramokgopa has made no significant impact in developing viable solutions to end load-shedding, both now and in the future.”

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