THE BODY POLITIC
SHIRLEY DE VILLIERS: Golden handshakes for leaden leaders
There’s precious little to show for our annual R940m bill for cabinet ministers. It’s time to cut the fat and get the job done
You’d hope President Cyril Ramaphosa would take the opportunity of configuring a new cabinet to finally offer us the slimmed-down version he has long promised. More likely, with the government of national unity, is that he’ll be handing out ministries like Oprah on a magnanimous day. A ministry for you, and a ministry for you, and a ministry for you.
You can understand why that would sit well with politicians. Snagging a cabinet position comes with no end of perks — and Ramaphosa just last week bumped public office holders’ remuneration by 2.5%, backdated to April. It’s nowhere near inflation, but it still means a minister earns R2.7m a year, while a deputy clocks in at R2.2m. A bargain-basement MP gets just R1.3m...
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