Gungubele laughs off suggestion he should use public healthcare, says ministers’ job is ‘insecure’

“That’s a different story.” This was Minister in the Presidency, Mondli Gungubele’s response to a question about why he is paying for medical aid when public healthcare is available, before laughing lightly.

On Thursday, Gungubele explained why Cabinet ministers are exempt from paying municipal rates for utilities following public outcry.

This week, it emerged that President Cyril Ramaphosa approved the 2022 Ministerial Handbook in April, which saw the limit on the amount ministers are required to pay for the use of water and electricity at their official residences scrapped.

Subsidised rent

In an interview with SAfm, Gungubele indicated that ministers have two official residences because they work in Parliament and at the head offices of their departments in the Western Cape and Gauteng respectively.

He said while ministers paid a subsidised rent, they are allowed free water and electricity at their official residences after they expressed concern over high utility bills.

“Until April this year, a minister who would have opted to use his or her house for official purpose, would have paid for electricity irrespective.

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“A minister, who is staying in state houses in Cape Town and Gauteng, the state would have paid up to R5 000 and the remainder, the minister would pay in terms of electricity [and water].

“From April, there was a new problem that occurred which ministers were extremely concerned about.

“They found themselves with bills of about R30 000 and with the ministerial houses, the state only has one account,” he explained, adding that ministers were not exempt from load shedding.

‘Insecure job’

Noting that ministers are already paid R2.4 million per year, Gungubele dismissed the suggestion that ministers were living “comfortable lives”.

“I’m also a minister so I can come across as being defensive [but] the ministerial job is one of the most insecure jobs. Ministers buy their own houses, they don’t have a housing subsidy including MPs.

“They also pay for their medical aid… I think I am paying R10 000 a month as a minister. A lot of things are not subsidised. [This is] a job that you can leave at any time and [it is] a job that [needs one to be] involved 24/7,” he continued.

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On the issue of using public hospitals, Gungubele further expanded on the matter saying: “I would agree that the more we use public health services the better. It would send a message of our confidence in the system”.

He further defended the perks that ministers receive, which include free flights, train travel, airport VIP lounges, subsistence and travel allowances.

“The value is a matter that we need to continue talking about, but where I am sitting I understand why ministers have got security [and] official residences for the type of work they do,” Gungubele concluded.

‘No process’

Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has already confirmed that it will be challenging the legality of the Ministerial Handbook.

The DA said it wanted a review of how amendments are made to the Ministerial Handbook, arguing that it is a legally flawed process.

“There is no set process for the review of this handbook, there’s no process for tabling it in Parliament, for members of Parliament to approve or engage with these things, it’s entirely up to one man and that’s President Ramaphosa. Now I don’t think that is consistent with the kind of democracy that we want to build,” DA MP Leon Schreiber said.

Earlier this year, Ramaphosa’s annual salary and benefits increased by 3% from R2.99 million to R3.08 million, while the salary for Deputy President David Mabuza went to R2.91 million from R2.83 million.

In addition, ministers’ salaries were upped to R2.47 million annually, with deputy ministers earning R2.04 million.

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