President Cyril Ramaphosa may have withdrawn the controversial Ministerial Handbook’s free perks for his Cabinet ministers, but he has not escaped the flurry of tongue-lashing from all quarters for his political survival ploy.

Free perks withdrawn

Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said the president had withdrawn the amendment to the Ministerial Handbook, pending a review. But there were still questions on why the amendments were thought of in the first place when the country’s economy was in a bad state.

Decision welcomed by alliance partners

One of ANC’s major alliance partners, Cosatu, welcomed Ramaphosa’s withdrawal of the latest provisions but said it believed there was an urgent need to look at whether the current leaders had the interest of the people at heart, or their own self-interest.

Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla questioned the thinking behind a decision to approve perks for ministers that included free electricity and free water, when people were suffering due to high food, electricity and fuel prices.

Political analyst Dr Ntsikelelo Breakfast said Ramaphosa had bowed to public pressure [to remove the perks].

“But his ploy to satisfy his henchmen at the expense of taxpayers has been exposed,” Breakfast said.

The expert said by approving perks, allegedly in secret, the president wanted to make his Cabinet happy as a survival strategy in the run-up to the ANC national conference.

The analyst cited several ministers, such as Gwede Mantashe, Pravin Gordhan and Enoch Godongwana, on whom Ramaphosa’s political survival hinged.

Ministers earn about R2.4 million a year and the addition of perks would have boosted their packages.

Pamla said in the light of fiscal prudence and belt-tightening, the government should know better than to make foolish decisions that would impact negatively on the taxpayers.

Government is ‘out of touch with reality’

The government’s “vulgar and tone-deaf perks” decision and the recent controversial proposal by Sport Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa to erect a R20 million flag in Pretoria was indicative of leaders who were out of touch with the plight of the suffering masses.

Pamla cited the last Oxfam International Inequality Report that revealed the rich are getting richer in South Africa, while the poor were “sinking further and further into the cesspool of poverty”.

The World Bank has declared South Africa the most unequal country in the world, with more than half of the South African population living in poverty.

An ‘assault’ to democracy

Democratic Alliance shadow minister of public service and administration Leon Schreiber called the attempt at perks an assault on democracy.

“That the president has dictatorial powers to force taxpayers to pay millions more for ministerial perks without even having to report this to parliament is an assault on our democracy.”

The DA had approached the public protector to lay a complaint as there was no law that provided for the existence of the Ministerial Handbook.

ALSO READ: Perks send message of politicians who simply do not care about South Africans – economist

– ericn@citizen.co.za