DA reveals that ANC Cabinet cadres live in mansions valued at nearly R1 billion
27 February 2023
The Democratic Alliance (DA) can today reveal that the mansions occupied by ANC Ministers and Deputy Ministers in Cape Town and Pretoria are collectively worth a staggering R967 million. This information has been exposed to the public for the very first time following a parliamentary question submitted by the DA to the Minister of Public Works in the ANC Cabinet, Patricia de Lille.
In her reply to the DA’s request for information, De Lille revealed that no less than 97 mansions are currently occupied by ANC Ministers and Deputy Ministers in Cape Town and Pretoria. In Cape Town, 26 Ministers and 32 Deputy Ministers live in state-owned residences. In Pretoria, 14 Ministers and 25 Deputy Ministers currently occupy these mansions. The homes in Cape Town are currently worth nearly R830 million, while the homes in Pretoria are valued at R137 million.
On average, each ministerial house is valued at nearly R10 million, which means that every ANC Minister and Deputy Minister currently lives in two mansions (one in Cape Town and one in Pretoria) valued at a collective R20 million – all courtesy of South African taxpayers.
Cabinet cadres are entitled to these houses in terms of the Ministerial Handbook, which also provides them with freebies that include four luxury vehicles each, VIP protection and international travel perks. And in order to shield these ANC cadres from the electricity crisis their corruption created – in which at least two senior ANC Cabinet members have been implicated by former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter – Ministers and Deputy Ministers also receive free water and electricity (up to R5 000 per month) and Patricia de Lille spent R2.6 million on generators for ministerial homes.
While it is accepted global practice for top government leaders such as the President, Deputy President and Premiers to occupy official residences – which are often located in heritage buildings or estates – it is difficult to justify why each and every ANC Minister and Deputy Minister who presided over the collapse of every public service and government department in this country should continue to live like rockstars.
This is compounded by the apparent fact that the Ministerial Handbook is itself illegal, as there is no provision in law that provides for the existence of a Handbook that doles out R1 billion houses to Cabinet cadres. That is why the DA has already filed a complaint with the Public Protector to investigate whether the perks handed out to cadres in terms of the Handbook are indeed illegal. To stop this abuse of taxpayers, the DA has also already published our intention to introduce an amendment to the Remuneration of Public Office Bearers Act that would make the Ministerial Handbook subject to full Parliamentary oversight.
The DA will not rest until we have eradicated the practice that sees President Cyril Ramaphosa abusing taxpayers with impunity to finance perks for an ANC Cabinet that has plunged our country into stage 6 load-shedding and economic devastation.
Text of reply:
NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NUMBER: 79 [NW79E]
INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO.: 01 of 2023
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 09 FEBRUARY 2023
DATE OF REPLY: 24 FEBRUARY 2023
79. Dr L A Schreiber (DA) asked the Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure:
(1) What (a) total number of state-owned residences are currently occupied by (i) Ministers and (ii) Deputy Ministers throughout the Republic and (b) is the total estimated value of all state-owned official residences for (i) Ministers and (ii) Deputy Ministers currently owned by the Government;
(2) what total amount of public funds have been spent on upgrading security and other features at the private residences of (a) Ministers and (b) Deputy Ministers since 1 June 2019;
(3) what are the names of all (a) Ministers and (b) Deputy Ministers who have received security and other upgrades at their private residences since 1 June 2019? NW79E
REPLY:
The Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure
(1) I have been informed by the Department that:
With respect to Cape Town:
(a)
(i) 26
(ii) 32
(b)
(i) R 608 165 300,00
(ii) R 221 708 000, 00
(2)
(a) and (b) None.
(3)
(a) and (b) Fall away
(1) With respect to Pretoria:
(a)
(i) 14
(ii) 25
(b)
(i) R54 778 282.80
(ii) R82 167 424.21
(2) (a) and (b) None
(3) (a) and (b) Fall away.
ENDS
Issued by Leon Schreiber, DA Shadow Minister for Public Service and Administration, 27 February 2023
