Newly-appointed Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure Dean Macpherson has confirmed that there will be no procuring of any new housing stock or offices for both the executive and parliamentarians.
Macpherson is part of the 75 members of the national executive from 11 political parties who were sworn in at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Wednesday.
PUBLIC WORKS CUTS BACK ON UPGRADING RESIDENCES AND OFFICES
On Thursday, Macpherson said allocations would be made from existing state properties and that they will not entertain requests for new procurement. He emphasised that there will be no spending on existing properties, the executive will have to make do with the existing furniture.
Macpherson said the tight fiscal position of the state was a paramount consideration for his decision.
“Our economy cannot accommodate requests for the procurement of new accommodation. Moreover, we have listened to the message of the citizens about being prudent with the public purse and cut down on perks and invest more in creating jobs and growing the economy,” he explained.
WHO CAN FORGET JACOB ZUMA’S NKANDLA RENOVATIONS?
In recent times, the most publicised renovation of a politician’s home came when former president Jacob Zuma‘s homestead in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, was renovated at the cost of nearly R250 million.
Due to Zuma’s insistence on security upgrades and the infamous ‘fire pool’, the Nkandla complex in rural KwaZulu-Natal has been at the centre of multiple controversies over the years.
Security costs on the president’s home still fall under the remit of being legally funded by the taxpayer; however, Zuma argued that particular renovations were necessary for his safety.
In 2016, the Constitutional Court ordered Zuma to pay back R7.8 million for upgrades to his homestead, including constructing a visitors centre, an amphitheatre, a cattle kraal, a chicken run, and a swimming pool.
The state reportedly spent nearly R10 million on the five facilities, which then-public protector advocate Thuli Madonsela deemed non-security-related as the upgrades were intended.
Zuma was not required to pay what the Department of Public Works had already paid for the five facilities.
In South Africa, the Ministerial Handbook requires the minister of public works to implement the recommended security arrangement at privately owned residences of various public officials in conjunction with the South African Police Service.
ANC LIED TO PROTECT ZUMA
Earlier this year, ANC Secretary-General Fikile Mbalula admitted that the party lied about some of the refurbishments in Zuma’s home in order to protect him.
Mbalula said in defence of Zuma, they went to Parliament, opened an Ad-Hoc Committee and lied about some of the refurbishments.
“We said a swimming pool is a fire pool…it’s hard to defend lies. People have lost their careers because of that thing,” he said.
