The EFF's former general secretary Godrich Gardee speaks to the media outside the Consitutional Court in Johannesburg on 5 September 2017. The court heard the EFF's bid to have President Jacob Zuma impeached. Picture: Yeshiel Panchia
We didn’t realise it was so tough for our dedicated and hard-working members of parliament. According to outgoing Economic Freedom Fighters MP Godrich Gardee, the R1.1 million-a-year salary – and numerous perks – are not nearly enough to keep body and soul together, never mind compensate these selfless people for their service.
As he resigned from the House of Assembly to go into a private law practice, Gardee complained that his salary was “disgusting”. He said he could understand why some parliamentarians took backhanders from organisations like Bosasa.
He didn’t go into much detail on MPs’ benefits, which include 88 single journeys a year (by air, train, bus or car), daily commuting, travel to and from airports, relocation, travel for their dependants and accommodation at parliamentary villages (for less than R400 a month).
We’re not surprised that a member of the Gucci revolutionary party – whose leaders drive around in luxury cars and wear fashion brand names while espousing socialism – would be so materialistic.
Within the ruling ANC, too, there are many MPs who say very little and mostly fight to keep from falling asleep in the National Assembly.
We should pay our MPs on a commission basis: do something, get some money.
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