BOSA can reveal that salaries to staff in private offices of just 18 ministers cost the public purse at least R230 million per year
13 October 2024
Build One South Africa (BOSA) is deeply concerned about the size, cost, and bloated staffing of ministers' private offices, as revealed in recent written replies to parliamentary questions asked by BOSA. We can today reveal that 18 (56%) ministers have responded to our written questions asking the following:
What is the (a) total number of staff employed and/or provided as Ministerial support in (i) her and (ii) the Deputy Minister’s private offices and (b)(i) job title, (ii) annual remuneration package and (iii) highest level of academic qualification of each specified member of staff?
The figures expose an excessive drain on taxpayers' resources, while ordinary South Africans continue to struggle with unemployment, poor service delivery, and a housing crisis. While we await responses from the rest of the ministers in cabinet, we can estimate that the cost to pay salaries in private offices will exceed R420 million per year. In addition, if you include the salaries of the ministers and deputy ministers themselves, this figure increases to over R600 million per year.
In a time when the country’s economy is under severe pressure, the size of these offices is unjustifiable. Ministers and their deputies seem far removed from the reality that millions of South Africans face, choosing instead to indulge in the luxury of overstaffed and overpaid offices. These are the same ministers who are supposed to steer our nation toward economic recovery and social upliftment.
To name a few:
The Minister of Agriculture has a staff complement of 18 people across both offices, costing a staggering R14.2 million annually.
The Minister of International Relations and Co-operation oversees 22 staff members with a total salary bill of over R15 million.
The Minister of Employment and Labour, in a department tasked with addressing unemployment, maintains 23 staff members, costing R17.8 million.
This opulence smacks of a bloated government and unchecked cadre deployment. BOSA reiterates that government must become smaller, more nimble, and streamlined to focus on delivery to the people, not creating jobs for political cronies. The high number of staff members and their exorbitant salaries cannot be justified in any way.
Furthermore, attempts by ministers to circumvent minimum qualifications for staff appointments within their offices raise further concerns about cadre deployment. This undermines the professionalism of our public service and diminishes its capacity to deliver essential services.
BOSA calls for an urgent review of these staffing arrangements. We believe that a smaller, more efficient government can better serve South Africans. BOSA stands firm on the principle that only competent, qualified individuals should be appointed to public office, not those placed in positions for political expediency.
We will continue to fight for accountability and the right-sizing of government to ensure that every cent of public money is used for the benefit of the people of South Africa, and not wasted on excessive ministerial luxuries.
Issued by Roger Solomons, BOSA Acting Spokesperson, 13 October 2024
